Bookbound Brigade | Switch Review

I’ve played a lot of Metroidvanias in my time, but I’ve never played one quite like Bookbound Brigade from Digital Tales. It might the only one I’ve experienced that successfully blends a sense of humor into its gameplay. Although I have some minor issues with the control scheme that occasionally make the gameplay frustrating, it’s simply too clever to avoid. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, and the core mechanic feels novel in a way that feels like a fun risk.

 

Tale as Old as Time

Let’s be honest, rarely do we play Metroidvanias for their gripping story. Bookbound Brigade is no exception. A central library contains a book called “The Book of Books,” which holds all stories from the literary world. The book is “nicked by some toerag” in the opening cutscene, and it’s up to the literary characters themselves to retrieve it.

These character consist of several figures from history and literature. Among the ranks are Dracula, Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz), King Arthur, Nikolai Tesla, and many more. Some are in your party from the start, while others you come across in your travels and offer you new abilities.

While the story of Bookbound Brigade itself might be a bit lacking, the true fun comes from the dialogue between its characters. The writing is snappy and portrays each legend in a way that feels like their own voice, while remaining modern at the same time. I particularly enjoyed when characters would poke fun at Joan of Arc by referencing fire. “Wow, Joan, that’s a hot take!” That brand of humor is prevalent throughout this title and is the best reason to play it.

Gather the Troops

The most clever aspect of Bookbound Brigade lies its commitment to its unique gameplay format. Rather than controlling one character at a time, you’ll handle the entire party as a single unit. If this sounds messy, it most certainly is, but not nearly as unwelcoming as you’d think. The unit always sticks together in formation quite well, so I was rarely frustrated. Only on one occasion did I find a character stuck in the environment forcing a restart. That’s pretty impressive considering there’s a physics engine built into the gameplay. If a couple members of your party are hanging over an edge, gravity takes hold, and you’re forced to compensate. This lends to some genuinely clever platforming that felt very fresh to me.

In true Metroidvania fashion, you’ll need new abilities in order to traverse new areas of the game’s 2D map. NPC characters provide you with new formations for your unit that allow you to reach new places you couldn’t before. Need to reach a button on the ceiling? One formations stacks all of your characters on top of each other, allowing you to do so. Can’t squeeze through a tight space? Another abilities teaches your party to form a straight line to access the new area. One character even gives you a much-needed double jump very early on in the game.

The mechanics make for a great experience in the genre, but I have one minor complaint. Switching formations is a bit of a chore that I think could have been handled in a much smoother manner. Currently, you must press a combination of two buttons, a bumper and one of the face buttons. The tricky part lies in remembering which face button sets up the formation, and which sets the group back to their original format. It takes a bit long to get used to remembering which button does which, and I believe toggling through the various formations would have made the experience much easier. This is especially the case in boss battles, where you need particular formations to attack the enemy. It’s a bit maddening trying to remember the correct combination while simultaneously dodging enemy attacks.

Bookbound Brigade Final Verdict

Fans of the genre will definitely want to check out this title, especially if you’ve felt Metroidvanias have been lacking in the humor department. Nothing about the main story will sell you, but the hilarious conversations and unique gameplay make this one well worth the price of admission. I’m looking forward to more unique games from Digital Tales in the future.

To hear me talking about about Bookbound Bridage, don’t miss Episode 282 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Bookbound Brigade provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4 and Steam for Windows.