Mighty Switch Force Academy Chicago

Mighty Switch Force! Collection is a collection of platformers from developer WayForward. It brings all the assorted Mighty Switch Force games together in one very convenient package. You get the first game, Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force! 2, Mighty Switch Force!Hyper Drive Edition, and Mighty Switch Force! Academy. Mighty Switch Force!Hyper Drive is actually the first game, just with some much higher-resolution visuals. The other games use lower-resolution sprites.

The core mechanic is the same throughout all the games. Traverse through each level, find the convicts hidden within, while using the switching mechanic to solve some light puzzles. The switching mechanic is very simple. Hitting the switch button causes some blocks to pop in from the background and other blocks to go into the background, allowing you to either jump on top of them or walk through them. This mechanic gets used in all manner of ways, and after every few stages a new gimmick will be introduced to make things trickier.

Starting with the first game, the premise is pretty simple. You, Patricia Wagon, police officer, are tasked with finding fugitives known as the Hooligan Sisters. There really isn’t much more to the story than this; a running theme through all these games is that the story never goes much beyond its initial premise. They’re very mechanics-oriented games. Levels get more and more complex, introducing new mechanics and layering them on top of old ones. There are also enemies to deal with, though they are generally just obstacles that are pretty quickly dispatched with your gun. The first gimmick introduced are launch blocks. Switching them on while standing in the middle of one will launch you in some direction until you hit something. Another gimmick are red and blue “lock blocks” that won’t switch off if you’re standing on them. If you’re on a blue block and switch, then blue blocks will stay on. The last one are cement blocks that have to be destroyed by blowing up bomb enemies near them.

Just like the digital release, this collection includes Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, Mighty Switch Force! 2, and Mighty Switch Force! It'll be available. A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, which has a focus on firefighting, was released for Nintendo 3DS in June 2013. This was followed by a puzzle game spin-off title, Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! A third game, Mighty Switch Force! Academy, was released in November 2015 for PC and features multiplayer elements.

Mighty Switch Force! mixes up these mechanics and creates all sorts of puzzles. It doesn’t seem like much, but there are only 16 levels, so it makes the most out of what it has without feeling ever feeling like you’re doing something you’ve already done before. The collection also includes levels that were originally DLC for some added challenge. For replayability, every level has a par time you can try to meet, and these par times are no joke. You’ll be having to really nail down your route through each level to hit these par times. Depending on how much you try to go for those, this game can last several hours to about 10 or so hours.

It’s a pretty simple concept, and it’s executed about as well as one could expect. It’s just a very satisfying-to-play platformer. The switching mechanic sounds almost too simple to base a whole game around, but the additional gimmicks complement it well. It does a very good job of introducing a new gimmick and getting you used to how it works, before it tests how well you can deal with them in more tense situations. The result is something that’s very fresh and interesting.

You do get the choice between the original and the Hyper Drive Edition, and there’s really nothing to differentiate the two aside from visuals. Personally, I kinda like the sprites of the original version a bit more, but Hyper Drive Edition still looks pretty good.

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Moving onto the second game, we have a whole change in premise and with that some mechanical changes. Patricia Wagon is now a hose-toting firefighter. Rather than tracking down the fugitive Hooligan Sisters, it is your job to save them. The hose is a bit different from your gun. The gun blasts would travel in a straight line across the screen, while the water from the house drops down after a bit. This means you can’t take out enemies before they even become a threat. Also, there are now fires peppered throughout the levels that will damage you if you run into them, but your hose can take care of them.

Aside from that, much of the game is the same. An added mechanic are these tubes you can shoot your hose into to redirect the water. These can be blocks you switch on and off, and even part of the blue and red lock blocks. Another block is one that is on fire, and can be put out by spraying it with water. However, the fire will start up again after a couple seconds, so you have to be quick. In addition to rescuing the Hooligan Sisters, each level has a baby you can save, though it’s an optional challenge. You don’t have to do it, but saving all the sisters and finding the baby all under the par time is the logical thing you’ll want to work up to.

All my praise for the first game applies to this one. I’d say it’s as good, if not even better. Having to deal with the fires in each level might seem like they’d just slow you down, but effectively putting them out is satisfying too. The added mechanics also add quite a bit. Like the first game, there’s 16 levels. Unfortunately, there were no added DLC levels, so it might not last you as long as the first game.

The last game is Mighty Switch Force!Academy, originally released only on PC. The premise here is a bit of a prequel, with Patricia Wagon being a cadet learning the ropes in police academy, with the Hooligan Sisters also apparently being cadets. Levels play out like the first game though, where you have to track them down. The first noticeable difference between this game and the original is that you can see the entire level on one screen. This does mean you can see the whole level at a glance. However, the character sprite ends up being really small, and some levels can be rather hard to parse at first.

The gameplay is exactly the same as the first game, though the level design I’d say is taken to the extreme. I’d say it’s overall quite a bit harder than the first game, as it feels like the level designers just had no restrictions. They just crammed each level with whatever they could think of. There aren’t too many new mechanics, though one new one will reorient gravity so that you’re now walking on the ceiling. Another new thing is fairly subtle, where traveling off the stage in one direction will cause you to wrap around to the other side. More than one level even requires taking advantage of this. Another thing is something like an enemy spawner throwing out a nonstop wall of bomb enemies, and blowing one up causes a chain reaction where they all blow up, and there will be a brief moment you can pass through them.

I’d say this is my favorite out of the collection. The level design just never stopped being creative and experimental. The final level was an incredibly tough challenge, I struggled with it a lot more than in other games, but it felt fantastic when I finally conquered it. New mechanics are very fun, and old mechanics feel like they’ve been pushed further than the original games pushed them. For example, there’s an entire level that has to be navigated with launcher blocks. I do wish it borrowed mechanics from Mighty Switch Force! 2, but I suppose they wanted to keep things relatively simple and pure here.

Something shared by all the games on here is some absolutely fantastic music. I only ever played Mighty Switch Force! on the 3DS before, and those speakers just don’t do these tracks justice. They were composed by Jake Kaufman, and I’d say it’s some of his finest video game work. It’s just a plethora of high energy, upbeat electronic music. I even configured the sound settings to where the sound effects were totally silent so that I could just listen to the music.

Buying these games individually might’ve been a hard sell for some due to the almost non-existent story and generally very low run-time. The whole collection is a great value, though. For $20, you get three amazing platformers, and 20 hours worth of playtime, minimum.

Review copy was provided by the publisher.

Mighty Switch Force! is a puzzleplatformer developed by WayForward Technologies for Nintendo 3DS. It is the third game in WayForward's Mighty series, following Mighty Flip Champs! and Mighty Milky Way. The game was released on the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2011.^[3] An update to the game, including five new levels, was released on May 24, 2012.^[4] A high-definition version, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition, was released for the Wii U in 2012, featuring re-drawn graphics and other new features.^[5] A Steam version of the game was also released in June 2015.^[6] A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, was released in June 2013.^[7]

Plot[edit]

A group of convicts called the 'Hooligan Sisters' escape custody on Planet Land. As they escape, one of them breaks open a canister, which causes Planet Land to become infested with monsters. The 'Galactic Penal Squad' contact 'cybernetic peace officer' Patricia Wagon (voiced by Stephanie Komure), authorizing the use of her Siren Helmet and Pellet Shooter, in order to capture the criminals. Helping her along the way are General Gendarmor, a mechanical armor that can extract her from battles, Ugly Twitching Dog (U.T.D), who can create reload points, and HQ, who are monitoring her actions.^[8]

Gameplay[edit]

The player controls a cyborg police officer named Patricia Wagon, who has to round up a group of escaped female convicts. The goal of each level is to find all the escaped convicts and return to the exit point as quickly as possible, with each level possessing a Par Time that dedicated speed runners can try and beat. Along with the ability to jump and shoot, Patricia has the ability to push in and out blocks dotted around the stage with her 'Siren Helmet', using them as platforms or a means to destroy certain enemies. There are also various other types of blocks such as launcher blocks that send Patricia or an enemy in a certain direction and colored blocks that allow the player to change which plane they switch on. During each level, the player has three hearts (called her 'Heart Drive', in universe),^[8] with the player losing one heart if Patricia is hurt by an enemy, comes into contact with spikes or is pushed into the screen by a block change (Checkpoints created allow Patricia to respawn at that point in the case of the latter two). If Patricia loses all three hearts, she will have to start the level over. Throughout the level she can collect floppy disks which restore hearts, either by finding them, or from shooting enemies.

Development[edit]

The game was released for the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2011. A free update to the game was released on May 24, 2012, featuring five new levels, improved 3D effect and the option to restart the level.^[4] On July 3, 2012, WayForward announced development of Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition as a downloadable title for the Wii U. The game features redrawn graphics similar in style to A Boy and His Blob, and also features off-screen game play with the Wii U GamePad, as well as the downloadable content from the Nintendo 3DS update.^[5] New to this version of the game is also the inclusion of Hyper Mode levels, which remaster all previous levels making them even harder. The game was released in conjunction with Wii U's American launch November 18, 2012. In Europe, the game was released December 6, 2012.

Reception[edit]

The game received 'favorable' reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[27][28][29]IGN praised the 3DS version's gameplay and presentation but criticized its short length.^[17]

Legacy[edit]

A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, which has a focus on firefighting, was released for Nintendo 3DS in June 2013.^[30][31] This was followed by a puzzle game spin-off title, Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! A third game, Mighty Switch Force! Academy, was released in November 2015 for PC and features multiplayer elements.^[32] A downloadable content pack for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero adds an additional story campaign featuring character costumes and gameplay mechanics from Mighty Switch Force.^[33] The collection of the game, Mighty Switch Force! Collection, which includes Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force! 2, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition and Mighty Switch Force! Academy was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in July 25, 2019.^[34]

References[edit]

1. ^'マイティー スイッチ フォース!'. Nintendo Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 5, 2019.
2. ^Fletcher, JC (September 26, 2012). 'Wii U launch supported by 23 day-one releases in North America'. Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
3. ^Dillard, Corbie (December 15, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force Gets Release Date'. Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
4. ^ ^abFahey, Mike (May 24, 2012). 'One of the Best Downloadable 3DS Games Gets a Little Better in This Week's Nintendo Download'. Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
5. ^ ^abMatulef, Jeffrey (July 3, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force HD makes the switch to Wii U'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network.
6. ^'Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition'. Steam. Valve. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
7. ^'Mighty Switch Force 2 Is On The Way'. ScrewAttack. ScrewAttack Entertainment LLC. February 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
8. ^ ^abMighty Switch Force digital manual, December 22, 2011. WayForward Technologies.
9. ^Otero, Jose (December 30, 2011). 'Review: Mighty Switch Force Proves the Value of Superb Level Design'. 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
10. ^Ponce, Tony (December 24, 2011). 'Review: Mighty Switch Force'. Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
11. ^Carter, Chris (November 20, 2012). 'Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U)'. Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
12. ^Edge staff (January 4, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force review'. Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
13. ^Donlan, Christian (January 9, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force Review'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
14. ^'Review: Mighty Switch Force!'. GamesMaster. Future plc. March 2012. p. 97.
15. ^'Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U)'. GamesMaster. Future plc. February 2013. p. 89.
16. ^Sanchez, David (December 8, 2012). 'Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition on Wii U is challenging, charming, and cheery'. GameZone. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
17. ^ ^abNix, Marc (December 23, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force Review'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
18. ^Thomas, Lucas M. (November 19, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition Review (Wii U)'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
19. ^Dillard, Corbie (December 22, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force! Review'. Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
20. ^Walker, Joe (November 25, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition Review'. Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
21. ^Miller, Zachary (December 24, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force!'. Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
22. ^Miller, Zachary (November 20, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition'. Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
23. ^East, Thomas (December 24, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force review'. Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
24. ^East, Thomas (January 2013). 'Mighty Switch Force Hyper Drive Edition review'. Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. p. 111. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
25. ^Matulef, Jeffrey (January 16, 2012). 'Mighty Switch Force'. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
26. ^Jenkins, David (December 23, 2011). 'Mighty Switch Force! review - downloadable justice'. Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
27. ^ ^ab'Mighty Switch Force! for 3DS Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
28. ^ ^ab'Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
29. ^ ^ab'Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition for Wii U Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
30. ^Caoili, Eric (March 20, 2013). 'Mighty Switch Force 2 screens'. Tiny Cartridge.
31. ^WayForward [@WayForward] (February 24, 2013). '. @IvanDashSmith just spilled the beans on Sup Holmes, Mighty Switch Force 2 is on its way! Should see more on this in the coming weeks. :)' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
32. ^Jenni (August 25, 2015). 'Mighty Switch Force! Academy Adds Co-op To The Series'. Siliconera. Curse, Inc.
33. ^Wong, Alistair (April 4, 2018). 'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's Costume Pack Comes Out On April 10, 2018'. Siliconera. Curse, Inc.
34. ^Romano, Sal (Jun 27, 2019). 'Mighty Switch Force! Collection announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC'. Gematsu. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

External links[edit]

• Mighty Switch Force! at MobyGames
• Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition at MobyGames