The Forbidden Arts | Switch Review

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 Bob Villareal

One of the perks of playing many games on the Nintendo Switch for a gamer like myself is feeling something old school. Maybe rudimentary graphics or side scrolling the likes of which raised me into the gaming fan that I am today. But one thing is for certain: when it comes to The Forbidden Arts by Stingbot Games, you’ll get more yawns than charm from this side-scrolling platformer.

Rise of the Phoenix

You play as the protagonist Phoenix, who has the ability to not only wield a sword, but is also a fledgling pyromancer, learning to harness the power of fire. Although you’ll find fewer enemies in the over world as you will in dungeons, most are easily subdued regardless of their location. The story is pretty sizable, though, and although not a supremely written story, it has enough substance to cover a lot of ground.

Variety is the Spice of Life, but Someone Forgot to Get Some at the Store

There are plenty of villagers and soldiers to talk to that will point you in the right direction, but I wouldn’t come for the voice acting. You’re mostly reading the script as it pops up in dialogue bubbles. The cut scenes do have some voice acting, however the work done here can barely be called “acting”. There’s plenty of over world map to cover, but the bulk of the game is still side scrolling combat. There is some variety as you can climb and descend certain areas such as rock walls with vines, and the areas and dungeons do differentiate visually. Not to mention some of the puzzles are unique, but albeit not overly complex. The music can be a bit decent too. Unfortunately that’s about the extent of this game’s likability.

Wizards and Pyromancers and Necromancers, Oh My!

When it comes to fighting using special abilities (the flame shield is kind of neat) or even your control of fire, these basics of taking on enemies are subpar at best. With most older game systems, you can find a lot of patterns in enemy movement. I for one expect it nowadays, especially when it comes to a more rudimentary offering such as this. These combats tactics though? They take the cake. Regardless of who you’re squaring off against, attack patterns are bland and sad. Most opponents just repeatedly come at you with little or no effort as if the AI is asleep at the wheel. The only real challenge comes from avoiding pitfalls during such skirmishes, which usually lead to an untimely and immediate death, like touching the water in Castlevania II.

The Forbidden Arts Final Verdict

The only thing that should be forbidden is paying for this game. Overall you’re not receiving what they’re selling here. I liked some of the puzzles and the size of the story, but decent music and a fairly standard RPG platformer aside, if it weren’t for the permitted disappointment I might not have felt anything when playing The Forbidden Arts.

You can also hear Scott talk briefly about The Forbidden Arts on Episode 256 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on a copy provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes and is also available on Xbox One and PC/Mac with a PS4 version releasing in Q4.