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How are you enjoying Switch platformers?

H

heringer

Member
There's a good number of sidescrollers to enjoy right now on Switch, which is funny considering the joycons are less than ideal for the genre. We all want a joy-con with a good d-pad, but until that happens, how are you enjoying your 2D games on Switch? "D-pad" buttons? Analog stick? Pro Controller?

Personally, I'm using the analog stick and it's surprisingly decent. Since the travel distance of the stick is fairly short, it feels precise enough. I tried using the buttons, but I can't stand them for any game that needs a diagonal input.

Also, which sidescrollers is your favorite on Switch?

List of sidescrollers so far:

Cave Story

Cave_Story_Plus_Screen_02.png


Blaster Master Zero

BlasterMasterZero-Weapons.jpg


Shovel Knight

screen_07.png


Shantae: Half Genie Hero

PREVIEW_SCREENSHOT3_133211.jpg


WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap

WonderBoyTheDragonsTrap-B005.jpg


Mighty Gunvolt Burst

Mighty-Gunvolt-Burst_2017_05-19-17_002.jpg


GoNNER

GoNNER_1920x1080_Screenshots_001.png
Click to expand...

Am I missing one?
 
G

Greatest Ever

Member
GoNNer is mad cheap on Nuuvem for PC, imma try it there and then decide on waiting for PC.

Shovel Knight is dope, though Vita is better handheld version.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap is one of the prettiest games I ever played, music is fantastic as well and it's just a great piece of Video Games history. I can definitely recommend it.
 
3

31GhostsIV

Banned
Cave Story isn't available in the UK for some reason, I'm interested in it as i've some how never played it, but nope.
 
G

giapel

Member
I've only got Shantae so far for the switch. Enjoying it quite a bit as a little distraction away from Zelda.
 
Amibguous Cad

Amibguous Cad

Member
It's nice to know there's a good chunk of them waiting for me if I ever need to spend appreciable amounts of time on the go.

This is my first encounter with shovel knight, the standalone prequel. I like it, but I still probably wouldn't play it if it wasn't portable - I'm not sure why everyone loves the series so much.

Looking forward to cracking open Mighty Gungolt when that's done.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
Only one I tried was Shovel Knight and couldn't get into it, stopped after a few levels

Waiting for something else that appeals to me I guess. Axiom Verge might be fun, that's coming right?
 
S

StarPhlox

Member
I have all but Gonner and even though I thought I would need the pro controller for 2D platformers I have barely used it.

The analogs are totally fine!
 
H

heringer

Member
bananafactory said:
Only one I tried was Shovel Knight and couldn't get into it, stopped after a few levels

Waiting for something else that appeals to me I guess. Axiom Verge might be fun, that's coming right?
Click to expand...

I played two levels of Shovel Knight a few months ago and didn't really enjoy. Wondered what was the fuss about. Then for some reason I played again some more and suddenly clicked with me. Really enjoying it now.
 
W

Why would you do that?

Member
I tried them all except Wonder Boy and GoNNER.

My ranking:

1) Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.
The longest of the bunch, and also the best. The three characters add a lot of variety. Plus, each individual campaign feels like an appropriate length and has a lot of minigames and collectibles. You really get your money's worth with this.

2) Cave Story
If you haven't played it before, it's TOTALLY worth it. If you have... Probably not. Amazing game, though.

3) Blaster Master Zero
To be fair, I only played the demo and the first two zones of the full game. It has a lot of variety, good music, and now DLC characters that really change the game up and add longevity.

4) Mighty Gunvolt: Burst
A great little game, though a little short and underwhelming in many ways. The weapon system is the best thing ever, though. Making weapons with such customization and finesse is top notch and is something that needs to be experienced.

5) Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero
Bottom of the list, but still a great game. It's disappointing compared to other Shantae games, it's too linear, it's too easy to 100% collect everything, and the backtracking doesn't feel natural at all (it's rather boring), but it's really fun still. Plus, the game can look very gorgeous. A great time waster, but I don't think it's a must play in any way, unlike the other games that add something unique or extra special.
 
P

Plainsong

Member
Shovel Knight is great. Never played it before and it's so good.

I just bought GoNNeR and it's pretty hard for me to get into. To be fair though I've only given it half an hour or so as I have gone back to do the Zelda DLC so I am into that and not much else. I will play it more down the road.

I will probably get Cave Story when it's available in the UK.
 
M

MoonFrog

Member
I've only played Blaster Master and Shantae on Switch. The latter was disappointing as I played SatPC directly before it and that was a much better game, imo.

Blaster Master was a nice experience to tide me over until I could get over putting my Switch down (after Zelda).

Played Shovel Knight on Wii U; was considering Cave Story, but I'll probably just get that on Steam someday as $30 is a lot more than it is elsewhere.
 
S

Stopdoor

Member
So how are the Joy-con dpad buttons for these games? Everyone made a big deal about them before release for platformers and Tetris, but I have Tetris and it honestly is no problem at all so it makes me wonder if people really know if a dpad is necessary. Maybe for fighting games, but are the buttons bad for platformers?
 
T

Tain

Member
I was fine playing Dragon's Trap mostly with the four buttons, but movement in that game is basic.

Not a lot else in the genre for me on the Switch right now.
 
T

The Boat

Member
I've had zero problems with the not-D-Pad, it's a non issue in platformers.
Hell, I think I even play Street Fighter better with it.
 
zenspider

zenspider

Member
More than I thought I would.
The Joycon buttons are surprisingly comfortable for most games. Got a Pokken controller on deck as well, just in case.
 
N

Nights Owl

Member
Stopdoor said:
So how are the Joy-con dpad buttons for these games? Everyone made a big deal about them before release for platformers and Tetris, but I have Tetris and it honestly is no problem at all so it makes me wonder if people really know if a dpad is necessary. Maybe for fighting games, but are the buttons bad for platformers?
Click to expand...

It kinda depends on the game/situation, but for the most part I find using the "d-pad" fine for most 2D games. As long as you don't have to do diagonals I think the 4 buttons as a d-pad is serviceable.

(Still would prefer and buy a joycon with a proper D-pad though)
 
ss_lemonade

ss_lemonade

Member
My biggest issue with the joycon "dpad" is that the tip of my thumb would sometimes touch and move the left analog stick, possibly registering movement to another direction. I sometimes also end up pressing more than 2 direction buttons at the same time, which could cause glitchy behavior. These 2 things caused problems for me with Kamiko. Do the other games recommended by posters above suffer the same issues?
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
I think I own all of these except Shovel Knight (I own it in literally every other platform) and Shantae because I already played that on Vita.

All pretty good, particularly Wonder Boy and GoNNER. I mean Cave Story is the true GOAT but I've played it many times before and it's hardly a new game. Blaster Master Zero is incredible too but sadly too easy.

Stopdoor said:
So how are the Joy-con dpad buttons for these games? Everyone made a big deal about them before release for platformers and Tetris, but I have Tetris and it honestly is no problem at all so it makes me wonder if people really know if a dpad is necessary. Maybe for fighting games, but are the buttons bad for platformers?
Click to expand...

They all work great with the directional buttons. I was worried too, but turns out everything that doesn't require diagonal inputs is fine and feels no different than playing with an actual Dpad.

Blaster Master Zero lets you aim diagonally with R like in Metroid and the overhead sections are better played with the analog stick IMO.
 
T

tolkir

Member
D-pad buttons and portable mode.

I completed Wonder Boy and Blaster Master. I'm with Shantae now. Surprisely, I play very good with d-pad buttons, even if isn't perfect.
 
P

Pappasman

Member
I think the directional buttons are very good. You can roll your thumb around just like using a dpad and because they are individual inputs you always know when you are hitting two buttons to create a diagonal direction. It's accurate and it feels good.

I don't see what a normal dpad would add that would be a huge improvement over what we have now.
 
R

Rizific

Member
Just the thread I was looking for. I just finished hollow knight on pc and was looking for a similar experience on switch. Shantae and wonderboy look great, will those fit the bill? I was gonna go out and get Isaac today, but I spent a little time with it long time ago on pc and didn't really care for it.
 
S

secretanchitman

Member
I've played through the entirety of Shovel Knight with the Pro Controller in docked mode, as I need a proper (for me it's acceptable) d-pad. I despise using the joy-cons and hardly use them unless I'm in handheld mode, which is rare.
 
J

jonno394

Member
Got all of them except Shantae, and not had a problem controlling any of them with the excuse for a d-pad the Switch has!

Out of them I have completed the following:

Blaster Master Zero - Great game, yet to play the Ex mode with DLC characters though, something to bring me back in.

Wonder Boy: The Dragons Trap - Just visually stunning. A fun game to boot, but a lot shorter than I (probably wrongly) expected.

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove (Shovel and Spectre campaigns) - Not much to say about this that hasn't been said before, just an all round fantastic package with extremely good gameplay, great soundtrack etc

Played Cave Story for an hour or so, it's great, GoNNER has me rather confused right now but i've only put in about 5 minutes! Mighty Gunvolt Burst is an absolute blast, superb Mega Man like game.
 
R

RRockman

Banned
They are fantastic with the joycon buttons. Some people are drama queens about the lack of normal dpad but I think the buttons are actually better for platformers. Inching forward/backward for percise jumps are great with them.
 
O

orioto

Good Art™
I just can't use the "dpad" of the Switch cause i have to fold my thumb way too much to reach the left.. Don't know how i should be holding the console.. (i only play portable of course)

Now i played Mighy Gunvolt with the analog stick and it was ok, except for some accidental death when shooting in diagonal..
 
T

thebisonxrc

Member
If I'm playing in docked mode, I use the d-pad on the pro controller. In handheld mode, I use the "d-pad" buttons. I'm completely content with either and have nothing against using the analog stick. I guess I'm just not picky.

As for games, Shovel Knight is a gem, obviously. This week, I played Cave Story for the first time and really liked it. I enjoyed it so much that I'll probably play through it a couple more times. No idea why it took me so long to play it in the first place, but better late than never. It's an awesome game. (And the physical version is pretty cool with the disc and manual!)
 
W

Waji

Member
I'm using the split Dpad and now I begin to think I like it more than the normal one.
(Shovel Knight)

I only have the default joy-con and I play every game without issue.
No need for the grip either. Feels better to have the hands free.
 
P

pretty done

Member
Trying to decide between Shantae, Cave Story and Wonder Boy. Never played any of them but $30 for a 2D platformer seems kinda steep.
 
S

selo

Member
bionic77 said:
Cave Story was great.

I did not really like Shantae. It was kind of boring.
Click to expand...

Agreed on shantae. I was super excited for it because I loved pirates curse. Playing this new one felt like a chore, a lot of not-fun backtracking, feels like they just wanted to tick checkboxes when developing the game, but it lacks soul.


I did enjoy blastwr master a lot though, fun 8 hours although a little on the easy side.
 
C

Chauzu

Member
I have Shantae and Shovel Knight so far for platformers. Loved both, even if Shantae was more of a long sittings game, while I still play Shovel Knight from time to time.

I mostly use the stick for movement. I actually think the dpad is fine, but the issue is it is so stiff to press - I get tired of playing with it after just a few minutes. I'm hoping it will kinda loosen up over time?
 
H

Hugstable

Banned
Mighty Gunvolt Burst is surprisingly good. Has good challenge to it as well. Honestly feels like what Mighty No. 9 should have been. Really good Megaman game though.
 
A

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
Shovel Knight: One of the greatest games of all time, I have over 120+ hours on it across all the different versions of it I own. It's worth $59.99 in my book.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst: Great game, a steal at $10! It's basically Mega Man 11, and it does a lot of things better than the classic Mega Man series. I actually want to go through and get all the Challenges. Just great level design and bosses all around.

Cave Story +: Not my cup of tea. I understand why people enjoy it, but the art style/graphics were really off-putting to me. The gameplay itself was fun and challenging. But it didn't feel like a good value at $30, more expensive than Shovel Knight and Gunvolt Burst, which I would recommend over this.

Wonder Boy Dragon's Trap: Absolutely beautiful game and wonderful soundtrack. I wish it had Challenges or some other kind of incentive to replay it, but I will probably replay it anyway just because it's so fun. I'd recommend at $20 only to those who really feel okay for paying that much for essentially a Sega Master System game; it's It's literally a straight port with a beautiful coat of paint. That may bother some people for $20.


I switch between using the analog and button d-pad, both are absolutely fine.

Trying to decide between Shantae, Cave Story and Wonder Boy. Never played any of them but $30 for a 2D platformer seems kinda steep.
Click to expand...

$30 is steep for Cave Story, I'd never played it before., so no nostalgia for me. At least it comes with a really good challenge mode with leaderboards and multiple endings to give you reason to come back to it. Wonder Boy and Shantae do no such thing, so maybe that alone is worth the $10 difference.
 
C

Chauzu

Member
I'm liking what I'm hearing of Mighty Gunvolt Burst here. For that cheap price I will probably get it soon.
 
A

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
ghostwritingduck said:
What does the Vita version have over the Switch one?
Click to expand...

A "better" D-Pad is the likely answer. I would agree, I even prefer the 3DS and WiiU D-Pads over the Switch, but in the end it doesn't matter at all. As long as you play the game with a functional controller, it's such a great game. Hell I'd play this on the Dreamcast analog stick (worst controller ever) and would still recommend it 10/10.

I'm liking what I'm hearing of Mighty Gunvolt Burst here. For that cheap price I will probably get it soon.
Click to expand...

This may sound crazy, but coming from a hardcore Mega Man 2 fanboy... I think it's the 3rd best Mega Man game out there.
#1 MM2
#2 MM9
#3 Mighty Gunvolt Burst
#4 MM3
#5 MM8
... all the others are behind them.

That's how much I like it. And I'm coming from playing the game on Hard Mode with no weapon upgrades: this game has EXCELLENT stage design and it shows. The boss patterns are way better (less RNG) than most of the classic Mega Mans, less frustrating, and very forgiving (unlimited lives, lots of check points, health items). I think this gam is VERY beginner friendly to Mega Man games and hardcore enough for classic fans. It's truly a Mega Man for everyone. Granted, not every LIKES Mega Man games, that's fine. If you have ever enjoyed a NES Mega Man game before, this is such a no brainer. It's for you. It's also $10. It's the best value to price ratio since Shovel Knight.
 
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