REVIEW: Biped (Switch)

A game that seems shaped around the features of the Nintendo Switch

Released: Switch
Type: Singleplayer, Coop
Genre: Adventure
Developer: NEXT Studios
Publisher: NEXT Studios,
bilibili, META Publishing
Release Date: 02 Jul, 2020

Overview

Biped is an action-adventure game where you control a Biped: a robot which only has two legs… and nothing else! You’ll be controlling the robot’s legs, trying to get through levels literally one step at a time, trying to control your character through the game’s atypical control schemes.

The original version of Biped has already been reviewed by Hotshot here, so we’ll focus on the Switch porting of the game.

Two Players Are Worse than One

While the game’s core features are basically unchanged, the Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for games like this one: the ability to play wherever you want alone, or eventually detach the joycons and play the game with a friend at any moment is the perfect feature for Biped. The developers didn’t obviously miss this and made the game perfectly functional when playing with all possible control schemes.

Standing at the edge of a cliff, waiting for a platform to come.

While the lack of the double sticks of the single joycon may seem like a problem, the alternative solution used by the devs (namely, using a single stick for controlling the legs and alternate between the two using the SL/SR buttons) works flawlessly in all scenarios: it just requires a little time for getting used to if you were used to the original control scheme. I can’t stress enough on how good is the double joycon coop on Biped: the game seems made specifically for this mode and being able to play it anytime, anywhere without bringing additional controllers is just awesome.

Performance

While graphics aren’t the focus of Biped, it manages to run without problems both in handheld and dock mode. The game graphics aren’t anything jaw-dropping, but the incredibly cute robots and the world around them is beautifully shaped and, while very noticeable in screenshots, the low-res shadows of the world’s objects aren’t really something you pay attention to while playing.

While playing in coop I’ve noticed some drops in the framerate, but they are usually confined to the initial scene of some levels, where there are many objects on the screen. Anyway, it’s nothing important and it doesn’t impact the experience at all.

Verdict

Biped for the Nintendo Switch is, simply put, the best version of an already awesome game. The gameplay itself seems shaped around the console’s features and the possibility of playing it in coop at any time without the need of additional controllers makes Biped an instant recommendation from me. If you don’t know what to play on the Switch in a period that isn’t seeing a lot of new games, this is the title for you.

Written by
texdade
Join the discussion

Archives

Calendar

About Us

Save or Quit (SoQ) is a community of fanatical gamers who love to give you their opinions.

See Our Writers

We’re always looking for new reviewers! Interested?