Unexplored Nintendo Switch Review

Charles Dance, the third, shuffles around a corner with a shield in front of him and a sword held by a taut hand, ready to be thrown at any creature that emerges from the dark fog. Tap, tap. The unseen darkness behind the wall is heard echoing in the footsteps of the footsteps. A creature moves closer. Dance attempts to creep, using slides, around the bend, in complete awareness that a fight is coming, and his death is only one strike away. TAP, TAP. TAP, TAP. Dance waits for his opponent, hoping to strike first.

"Dungeon data being generated." The game then freezes while the Switch renders the remainder of the level. Is this anticlimactic?

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition can be a constant struggle to like. It seems to build up to a crescendo, which is a technical term that means a "Good Game", but then it crashes and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. This is mostly due to its extreme difficulty and the Switch port being somewhat naff.

Unexplored, Ludomotion’s 2017 procedurally generated, crawling dungeon-crawling robot roguelite is for those who are not familiar. Before you descend into the nastiest levels, you can control a cute, cyclops-like creature. You choose their name, how they look (note: they are always adorable).

It is truly cruel. It is worse than the school kid your Mum would call 'the nasty one'. You don't know what they have done so'stay away'. Ludomotion's Switch debut has many things that you will gladly avoid. There are many traps, rooms full of gas and a wide range of creatures (some that can bite, poison or bite you), as well as potions and scrolls that could cause your face to explode. You will be killed by almost everything in every dungeon.

Unexplored

But they're supposed kill you. Unexplored continues to follow the permadeath tracks of its fellow roguelites, enjoying the familiar "just one more" type of game that has thrived over the past decade such as Binding Of Isaac and Rogue Legacy. It is often equipped with just one or two weapons with a very short cooldown after each hit. This makes you feel vulnerable. If you want to get past the first level of the dungeon, you're likely to be outnumbered and against someone much stronger than yourself. This is why it's important to mix kiting with perfecting hits.

This is when the game begins to falter. Unexplored is all about tackling tough enemies. It's a great part of the game, but it's not ideal that you slash at your armoured foe. Your character's control is a little off. It's not a major problem, but it can make it feel a little slow.

The game freezes for a few seconds on nearly every floor, causing the rest to become unusable. It's frustrating, even with the message that a dungeon is being built. It doesn't help that you will be exposed to a load-time which is slightly too long, as well as the possibility of it crashing or experiencing frame rate drops. These issues can be quickly fixed with a patch.

Apart from the technical problems, the most significant problem when you try to replace equipment is the poor quality of the menus. Although the equipment can be serviced on the PC, switching between menus or equipment feels awkward and unnatural. It is difficult to use the Switch controls to navigate its grid system, especially when you are in handheld mode.

Unexplored

It delights just as much as Unexplored frustrates. It is a top-down, minimalist view with minimal art design. This allows it to create atmosphere and detail with very little. The audio is well-crafted and helps a lot. It sounds amazing. The game's audio design is amazing, from the monsters' guttural snarls and the equally horrific but joyful laugh your character makes after you have skewered them. It's easy to tell if there is a sentry mechanized waiting in the wings or if there are mischief-making rats at the other end of the door.

It is both challenging and enjoyable to play Unexplored. Despite everything it does well there is something that stops it from being truly amazing. For those who enjoyed last year's PC version of the game, the Switch port includes the complete bundle that includes the Ripley Run, Mithril Run and The Dark Ritual expansion. If you can overlook the technical issues, it is worth it.