Jamestown+ | Switch Review
Imagine a world where colonial expansion first went to Mars instead of the Americas. Bizarre thought right? Now take that concept and cross it with a solid bullet-hell vertical shoot’em up. The marriage of such an outlandish idea is Jamestown+ from the developers over at Final Form Games. I love shoot em ups, and whenever I am given the opportunity to dive into a new one and have had a crack at it. I dive right into games like these and relish in the action. However, the real question is whether or not Jamestown+ is a game for you? Let’s take a look at why I think you should give this game a go.
Let’s All Go to Mars
Jamestown+ is not your typical shoot’em up. First, the game takes place in an alternate reality version of the 17th century. England is colonizing Mars in this steampunk version of the past. I have never been a huge fan of steampunk style, but Jamestown+ does a fun take with it. The game has plenty of iconic references from the time period such as John Smith and Walter Raleigh. The Spanish are the primary enemies for the game staying true to the history of the time period. The game also adds in some pesky aliens which makes for a fun time.
The gameplay is simple as would be expected from most games in this genre. You take your craft and travel vertically through the playfield, blasting everything in your path. Where Jamestown+ sets itself apart is in some of its mechanics. While it has your primary and secondary fire modes, it has another called Vaunt. You have to charge this fire mode up by collecting gold that appears from destroying certain items and enemies. When the Vaunt Gauge is filled, your ship is surrounded by a forcefield and then a multiplier is activated. The ability only lasts for a short time but can be extended by collecting more gold as you blast your way through the level. The gameplay is also very easy to pick up even for newcomers to shoot-em-ups
No School Like that Old School
The visuals for the game are also a beautiful, hand-drawn, pixelated throw back to the 16-bit era. The amount of detail and amazing amount of visual effects that have been crammed onto the screen is breath-taking. The boss fights in the game are also a sight to behold. The amount of items on the screen seems almost overwhelming and impossible, but you fall into a rhythm that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. This game is worth playing for the visuals alone and you can feel the love that was put into the crafting of this game.
The game also has a fun co-op version that can support up to 4 players. I also enjoy the fact that the game does not make you share your life pool with other players. I am also a fan of the fact that as long as one player survives the entire team can be resurrected to continue to massive destruction and continue to conquer Mars.
The Fault in These Stars
I can only find a couple things that really hurt this game. The biggest error, in my mind, is making game progression harder than it needs to be. I first played through Jamestown+ on normal mode as I am accustomed to do in new games. After clearing the first area, when I attempted to move on I was not able to do so. I had to go back and replay the first area on hard mode. This feels like a poor attempt to lengthen gameplay. Also, there are only five chapters to the game, which feels unfortunately short for such a beautifully designed game.
For a game that is close to ten years old, this game has aged well in my eyes. With the recent port to the Nintendo Switch, I’m glad to see wonderful Indie games like this being brought back to the limelight for a new generation of players to enjoy. With such rich visuals and addictive gameplay this game should be a welcome addition to any Switch owner’s library. So if you are a fan of alternate steampunk history or a fan of shoot em ups, I would recommend this game fairly highly.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Jamestown+ provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Jamestown+
$17.99
Pros
- Great Gameplay
- Beautiful Styling
- Fun Multiplayer
Cons
- Short Game
- Annoying Level Progression
