[Review] Super Chariot – Nintendo Switch

Super Chariot

Reviewed by Kieran

Developer: Microïds
Publisher: Microïds
Category: Physics Platformer
Release Date: 05.10.2018

The King Is Dead, Long Live The King

Never have I seen such an example of video game schizophrenia than as what I experienced with this game. You see, on the one hand Super Chariot is an excellent co-op experience, one that encourages team work, communication and exploration. At the same time, it might just be the worst single player experience I’ve encountered in a very long time.

The main problem, in single player mode, is the pacing. Whereas playing in multi player is inventive, intuitive and incredibly enjoyable; playing on your own is a dire, desolate affair that is quite literally a drag to play. That’s right, playing this alone will simply be a case of dragging the royal coffin from point a to b. It’s boring, slow and incredibly frustrating and unfortunately for this humble scribe, an experience that I had to endure. I played a couple of levels in co-op mode, which was an absolute joy. But ultimately, I spent most of my time with Super Chariot slogging through level after level, simply to finish. By the end of my play through, I simply didn’t care about exploring, I just wanted it to end.

Story

The King is dead. How he died seems irrelevant, but unfortunately his passing is far away from a burial place befitting his royal status. You play as the princess, so presumably the Kings daughter, and her fiance. With the help of a skeletal shop keep, who offers items and upgrades, you must get Daddy dearest to his final resting spot. Occasionally, the ghost of the King will appear to insult you a little, while at the same time insisting on collecting some treasure. He wants to be buried with swag, lots of it. While there aren’t traditional enemies to battle, you will encounter looters, and these little critters are another aspect that frustrate in Super Chariot. In all honesty, the game is difficult enough without having to worry about these pesky scamps stealing all of your delicious treasure.

Presentation

Super Chariot is a decent looking game, full of life, colour and charm and with some of the nicest uses of bloom I’ve seen outside of a Lost season finale. However, it is a little samey at times. The music is lively and bobs along nicely and the inclusion of full voice acting, even when merely perusing the shop, is a nice touch. Overall, a lot of care has gone into producing a game that looks, sounds and performs well throughout. Performance is always smooth and I would compare it to games such as Steamworld Dig 2 and Blossom Tales. What I mean by this is, Super Chariot bridges the gap between Indie title and full fledged retail game. The fact that it has a physical release as well as the digital offering is probably testament to this fact.

Gameplay

Super Chariot is a physics puzzle platformer. The aim of the game is to meander through the underground caverns and return the King to the royal burial ground.

Because he died…

Obviously.

Also, his coffin has wheels, so that’s convenient. The unique mechanic of this title delivers in creating a different kind of platformer game. Rather than having to jump and use abilities to traverse the environments, you simply have to find a way to get the royal coffin-mobile to the next exit. It can be a real delight working together with a friend to find a way through the stage. The less said about the single player campaign, the better.

Whilst the levels are always very linear, there is a decent amount of secrets in every level. Some of these can only be found in co-op mode, which is fine, if not a little frustrating. Further evidence, if it was needed that perhaps it was asinine to even offer a single player experience. Wouldn’t it have just made so much more sense to only offer this experience as a multiplayer adventure? It certainly would have enriched the experience and quelled all of, at least, my own gripes.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Super Chariot is a real mixed bag. When played with somebody else in the same room its a triumphant gaming experience that offers many hours of enthralling game play, with bags of replay value. However, as a solo experience I simply could not recommend anybody parting with their hard earned cash.

If my words aren’t enough to reassure you, there is a demo available to download on the eshop so check it out for yourselves.

And don’t worry, I won’t be offended. In the words of Veronica Corningstone, ‘Thanks for stopping by’.

TL:DR

Fantastic co-op title, slow, boring single player experience. Lovingly presented. Add or subtract a heart when playing in single player or co-op respectively.

2/5 or 3/5 or 4/5