Previous Next

This 1989 game garnered a whole heap of critical acclaim when it was first released. The gloomy, atmospheric graphics coupled with classic platforms-and-ladders gameplay made it popular with reviewers, and a substantial challenge kept players plugging away at it for an age. So did the people who didn't buy it miss out on something special?

Erm, not really. Switchblade in one of those games that just doesn't seem to stand the test of time. It's still beautifully programmed, it's still challenging, but it's also (to me, anyway) ultimately boring. The graphic style doesn't change at all, right the way through the game, and the difficulty increases not by any subtle devilment, but simply by throwing more and tougher baddies at you. And that's another thing. Tougher baddies? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought this was a platform game, not International bloody Karate. When I kick a baddie, I expect him to die, not to need another two maximum-strength kicks before he clears off. It makes the whole thing plain frustrating.

It's a shame, because the terrific atmosphere and novel exploration twists (rooms are only revealed when you enter them) are really nice. As it is though, it's a fun game, but something of a missed opportunity.

Fun to start off with, but rapidly gets irritating and fairly dull. Doesn't stand up to repeated playing and is somewhat showing its age.