SPOOKWARE from DreadXP and Beeswax Games is a spooky RPG microgame collection that is a blast to play on Nintendo Switch. Find out more in our SPOOKWARE review!
SPOOKWARE from DreadXP and Beeswax Games is a spooky RPG microgame collection that is a blast to play on Nintendo Switch. You’ll be joining skeleton bros Lefti, Midi, and Righti on an epic road trip adventure split into four episodes with a solid variety of microgames to experience between the different story segments. This initial download includes episodes 1 and 2, which offers around 100+ microgame for you to take on as you get acquainted with the world of SPOOKWARE.
What types of microgames will you be trying to complete? Given the spooky nature of the game, these include things such as avoiding a ghost as a pawn on a chess board, shooting at zombies to keep them from climbing up a wall, making a clean cut with a saw to remove a head, assembling a skeleton that has certainly seen better days, filing taxes for the undead, chopping melons with a guillotine,
For microgames, the controls are simple and to the point since each one will only last for a few seconds. Pay attention to what’s presented on the screen, and then use the left analog stick or the D-Pad to control the action. Press left and right to move a character, and then press down on the left analog stick or the D-Pad to shoot at the incoming wave of zombies. Use the left analog stick or the D-Pad to move each autoselected bone into position so that you can assemble the aforementioned skeleton.
All microgames control like this… except when they don’t! It turns out that each set of microgames will have different control inputs for you to consider. What if you need to play the bongos in time with the beat? Then you’re going to have to use the L and R buttons to bang on those bongos in style! Press the L and R buttons for short and sustained notes, and complete each musical microgame. This whole pressing the L and R buttons for actions on the left and right side of the screen will be crucial during your time at Gruel High.
All of the microgames in SPOOKWARE are horror-themed, keeping with the overall presentation and premise of the story side of the equation. The microgames are supposed to be tapes for movies that Lefti, Midi, and Righti are watching, an activity they certainly love. But then they realize they’ve been sitting on the couch watching horror movies for a very, very long time. One of them is feeling a bit light-headed after sitting on the couch for what seems to be months – maybe even years? – so they all decide to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.
That’s when the RPG side of the equation comes into play. During these sections, you’ll be able to control the trio of characters with the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you explore each location. The A button can be used to interact with other characters to talk to them or with objects to get a better look at them and see if there’s anything that can help you. Maybe someone could use some milk to strengthen their bones? You can make the trio walk at a faster pace by pressing and holding down the B button.
The game offers an interesting art style mix with real-world-looking 3D areas and characters that seem straight out of a Paper Mario game. The visuals during the RPG segments match how the microgames are presented. You’ll get a better taste of this once you go into the first chapter of the game right after the intro prologue: Gruelling High! Since the trio spent so much time watching movies, they haven’t been to school, so it’s probably a good time to get that going, right?
Once you’ve managed to play and beat all of the tapes in a set, you can go back and use your awesome tape deck to remix the tapes to offer an endless loop of microgames. This remix will include all of the tapes you’ve selected, with the game gradually increasing the speed for each loop, so that you need to act faster or else you’ll lose a life. Each life is represented by one of the three main characters, just as it happens when playing through the tapes individually during the main gameplay experience.
SPOOKWARE is a fun game worth checking out on Nintendo Switch. It starts off as a microgame collection with a macabre twist but soon expands into its true form: a spooky RPG microgame collection with a story and some non-microgame segments! Sure, they’re not all winners, but with more than 100 microgames to play in the current first two currently available episodes – with more on the way – there’s plenty of content to enjoy. SPOOKWARE is out on Nintendo Switch for only $9.99.
Disclaimer
This SPOOKWARE review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by DreadXP.
