Welcome to my review of Badland: Game Of The Year Edition on the Nintendo Switch. Badland: Game Of The Year Edition is developed by Frogmind (Badland Brawl, Rumble Hockey) and published by QubicGames (Epistory Typing Chronicles, One Strike).
It was released on the Nintendo Switch in August 2021 but was originally released in April 2013 on iOS and Android. The player plays as a clone navigating the treacherous traps and puzzles in the woodlands.
This Is A Bad Land To Be In!
Check out my previous review where I wrote my thoughts about PowerWash Simulator. Let us know down in the comments if you’ve played Badlands on one of the many platforms it was released on.
The Game
As mentioned we play as a clone in Badland: Game Of The Year Edition. It’s based in a woodland and set over a number of days. Each level represents a time period within that day, each level is also set during dawn, noon, dusk, and night. There are over 100 levels in total in the Game of the Year Edition of Badland.
We must navigate our way through the woods as mentioned. The player must avoid traps, navigate through small mazes, and more all whilst under the pressure of trying to escape the side-scrolling darkness that intends to consume your clone forever. We collect powerups that help us through certain parts of the levels. These powerups do different things to our clone. Some will make it larger to smash through logs, others will make it smaller to fit through tiny gaps.
There are also other types of powerups such as one that will split your clone into many other clones. Another will slow time down dramatically which allows you to navigate through some rather dangerous traps with ease.
There are more powerups than this, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you.
There doesn’t appear to be much of a story from what I can tell, but that doesn’t matter. The game is still very much enjoyable as it is. Some of the puzzles had me scratching my head thinking “Well how can I get through that if this is in my way?!”, but you just need to take a step back and think outside the box. This is key to progressing through this game. I do enjoy games like this though, as it means you don’t just breeze your way through the game until completion.
There is a sequel to this game, Badland 2, that is currently on iOS and was available on Android, but is no longer available. I’m hopeful that the sequel will release on other platforms, but this may not happen.
Look and Sound
Considering this game was originally released in 2013 as a mobile game, the graphics are actually very nice. Of course, there’s nothing demanding going on, however, it still looks very clean even on the larger screen on the OLED Model of the Nintendo Switch. I did not experience any drops in frame rate whatsoever whilst playing.
The audio is fantastic, sound effects are met with joy to your ears. The music in the game is also rather nice and sets the tone of the troubles ahead.
How Long?
Considering the game has over 100 levels, which can be played solo and on cooperative. You’re in for a good amount of time with Badland: Game Of The Year Edition on the Switch. We’re talking at least 20 hours of gameplay. If you get stuck like I did on some levels, you’ll be playing for longer, naturally. At the full price of £5.39 this is still a bargain for the amount of content you get.
The game also has 78 in-game achievements to unlock on the Switch, I personally wish this was a more frequent thing on Switch games.
Conclusion
Badland: Game Of The Year Edition is a fantastic game. The only regret I have is I wish I had played more of it a lot sooner than over 8 years after its original release date.
The port to the Nintendo Switch is flawless. I had no problems with controllers, no frame rate drops, and no sound issues. Should you wish to purchase this on the Nintendo Switch you can do so over at the Eshop UK site here where it’s currently on offer for £2.69!
I give Badland: Game Of The Year Edition a near top score of 9/10.
