[Review] Guts and Glory – Nintendo Switch

Guts and Glory

Reviewed by Kieran

Developer: HakJak
Publisher: tinyBuild Games
Category: Puzzle, Arcade, Action, Simulation
Release Date: 07.19.2018

Guts over Fears

Guts and Glory is a violent physics game that launched back in 2016 in beta with a full launch happening in 2017. Much like many other titles, it is finally time to make it’s Nintendo Switch bow. And in all honesty there really isn’t anything quite like it on the console. It’s a title not quite like anything else and despite there being other physics based games on the market, this title certainly shines brightest for its audacity alone.

Essentially this title is every streamers dream as, unless you’re dead inside, there is simply no way you wouldn’t react to this game in some way. Once completely comfortable with the controls it would be tough to not spend an obscene amount of time simply messing around.

With so many great games releasing every single week on the eshop, it has to be asked, is Guts and Glory worth your hard earned cash?

Lets find out.

Gameplay

The premise is simple, navigate your way through a picturesque park with your sweetheart, riding a tandem. Doesn’t that sound romantic?

Well it’s not.

As well as navigating from A to B you’ll also need to avoid arrow traps, blade saws, dodge balls and proximity mines, to name but a few of the obstacles awaiting you. As well as manipulating every imaginable variable, you can also slow the very flow of time itself. Performed at just the right moment, this can prove the difference between success and failure.

Whilst it’s all very gruesome it’s utterly hilarious. Witnessing your character or their partner get decapitated, in all its choppy glory is certainly a sight to behold and with all the different booby traps, there are endless ways to die.

There’s a whole host of characters available from the get go, all with their own specific vehicles. Each vehicle has a different feel to it and the physics aspect really comes into play once you start experimenting with various characters. During one particularly hilarious play, I managed to successfully avoid 2 dodge balls, only to immediately drive across a proximity mine and thereupon proceed to do my best Alderaan impression.

Performance

For the most part Guts and Glory runs reasonably well. Load times can be a bit tedious which I suppose isn’t of great surprise considering the sheer scale of assets being loaded, even so the initial load times in this title are quite substantial. Re spawning is a bit of a sore point, as, like the load times in this game, are dreadfully slow. And the main issue with this is, you die a lot. Even the most skilled of players will be unable to avoid some of the latter areas when the screen is overly populated with mines. In my personal opinion this led to mild frustration as, especially later in the game, I wanted to keep trying to pass certain areas, but due to the obscene frequency of death, and subsequent spawning, I simply lost interest.

Presentation

Graphically, this game runs like a PS3 game, albeit a very choppy one. But you know what, that’s fine. It works for the overarching aesthetic and doesn’t detract from the main source of enjoyment, game play.

At 1st I was unsure about the audio, a blend of happy feel good tunes that you may associate with the fairground or a carnival. However, the music perfectly complements the tone of the game and I never found that it detracted from the ambience.

At times it almost felt like 16 bit Nintendo music. Almost..

Verdict

If you get into the vibe of this title, there’s an awful lot of replay value here. As a matter of fact, even if you don’t there is still a lot going on. Levels offer speed running opportunities by the bucket load. The physics aspect of this unique title are an absolute joy at times and really makes Guts and Glory a must have title on Nintendo Switch. Perhaps not for the faint of heart but brimming to the top with hilarity and good hearted, silly fun. Even after a lengthy time playing this game, it still finds ways to amaze me and make me smile.

Having spent my 1st hour solely on the tandem, getting to grips with the controls and mood of the game, things really took an unexpected turn when I decided to try the bike and cart combo. The aptly names Jack and Jill headed out towards the 1st checkpoint. To avoid a trap I turned sharply and lost control of my vehicle at the top of a hill. Needless to say, like some contorted nursery rhyme, Jill fell down, got crushed by a cart and Jack came tumbling after.

Guts and Glory is an absolute must have for anybody looking for a something just a little bit different. Whilst it won’t appeal to everybody those who appreciate its quirks will have a lot of fun, albeit in the most gruesome of ways.