Pronty | Switch Review

Pronty is a gorgeous underwater gear-gated game that released originally on PC back in November 2021. Seeing how I didn’t get my Steam Deck until last year, I completely missed this title. Now that it’s been ported to Nintendo Switch, I finally had a chance to check it out. It seemed like perfect timing, considering I’ve been on a bit of a Metroid kick lately. Unfortunately, I think my situation hurt my experience more than helped it. Where Samus’ adventures feel expertly paced, 18 Light‘s take on the genre, while solid, doesn’t quite reach that level of quality. There’s a lot to love here, however, with a gorgeous environment to explore, tons of secrets, and a genuinely interesting story with a great twist.

Grand Conceptions of Supernatural Beings

The first aspect of Pronty that makes it stand out from other gear-gated games is that the entirety of the map is underwater. Not only does this make exploration an interesting task, it makes for a novel story setting as well. You are an aquatic creature tasked as a “Protector”, a class of unique mercenaries ensuring the survival of humanity. You wake up on the day after your birthday to start your training. Inevitably, all hell breaks loose. An evil beast by the name of Raksha destroys much of underwater dwellings, leaving you the lone Protector left to right the wrongs. As young Pronty, you’ll explore what’s left of civilization, discover the mysteries of what actually went down, and face off against countless monsters along the way until your final showdown with Raksha himself.

I appreciated the setting most because of how novel the setup actually turns out to be. On the surface (under the surface?), Pronty appears to be a a very cute indie title. Sure, our hero resembles an underwater Stitch from the Disney movie, but it winds up being much darker than I expected. In a way, the environment reminded me a bit of Rapture from Bioshock. There’s a healthy dose of modern/future technology present while the overall somber tone of the game feels like it takes place in the past. It gives a very unique feeling that, despite its uneasy vibe, was very welcoming.

There’s even data discs to discover that act as the game’s own version of audio logs. Although they only offer written text, they expertly untangle the history of this place and the mystery behind its demise. It all leads to a very unexpected twist told in short comic book styled cutscenes that work shockingly well.

One minor touch that added so much to the atmosphere is the music. I should probably say the lack of music, rather. Outside of boss battles (which have very energetic music), most of the time you’ll hear ambient sounds instead. This keeps the background noise from being repetitive, which was a nice touch compared to other games in the genre that tend to loop its melodies over and over. To further add to the eeriness, the sounds literally slow down when you pause the game or look at your map. It’s almost as if someone adjusted the record by hand, bringing the audio to a methodical halt. It’s a really clever effect that adds to the overall somber tone.

Walls Were Invented Simply to Frustrate Scientists

The gameplay in Pronty is also rather unique. Sure, we’ve had underwater gear-gated games before (the criminally underrated Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet comes to mind). But the combat here is not your standard twin-stick shooter fare. Your character doesn’t actually attack him/herself. Instead, you rely on a companion by the name of Bront, who happens to be a long, slender robotic fish. You attack, you point in the direction you want him to attack, and he torpedoes his way towards an enemy when you press a button.

It takes some getting used to, since you don’t have full control of Bront. He attacks from wherever he happens to be at the moment, which makes combat more frustrating than it needs to be. To further complicate things, early on you’ll learn an ability to “mark” your enemies. You do this by dashing through them, and once marked, your next attack deals significantly more damage. This is a vital strategy, as you’ll need to master it when facing the game’s bosses. But more on that later.

As much of a console gamer I am, I really am not a fan of using the Switch controls for combat. For the first time in my life, I wished for a mouse and keyboard. The game seems designed specifically for that, and I felt like I was missing out. Aiming with the right stick while simultaneously holding down the right trigger to charge Bront is a chore. It pains me to say, but I might suggest playing on PC if you have the ability.

A Perfect Archangel of Hatred

In true gear-gated fashion, there are upgrades aplenty in Pronty. Refreshingly, they’re not your standard “this door opens with this weapon” kind of upgrades. Instead, your acquired abilities enhance your movement in a way that feels natural without directly spelling it out for you. For instance, you learn the ability to shrink down to a very small size. This allows you to enter narrow crevices to reach new areas. Likewise, you’ll learn how to instantly switch places with Bront. This comes in handy when you need to bypass a current; you simply fire your fish pal across the way and then teleport to his location.

You’ll also discover passive abilities to make your life easier. These range from lowering cooldowns to allowing you a quick revive upon death. The catch here is that you have limited space to install these upgrades, so you’ll have to pick and choose. Granted, you can unlock more slots (there’s ten in total), but doing so will require a lot of exploring and spending resources. Needless to say, there’s a lot of moving parts present in a game that should take you no longer than seven hours to complete.

My biggest gripe with Pronty is the pacing. Perhaps I’m spoiled by other gear-gated games I’ve played recently, but I couldn’t get into a natural rhythm as easily. Too many times I became frustrated by hitting a cheap roadblock that brought more frustration that satisfaction when I finally overcame it. I also wished for more sense of direction to progress. At a certain point in the game, I wound up just wandering aimlessly hoping to uncover the correct path. I much prefer when a game shrewdly tells me what to do without telling me what to do.

Don’t get me started on the boss battles. I nearly threw my OLED Switch across the room in frustration during the final boss. I don’t remember the last time that happened. It’s important to note that I had the game set on its easiest difficulty. I worry that the difficulty will keep many people from making it very far, much less finishing the game.

If His Destiny Be Strange, It Is Also Sublime

I feel very conflicted when it comes to recommending Pronty. On one hand, it has an engaging story, gorgeous artwork, and effective sound design. On the other, the combat feels clunky (at least with a controller), it’s incredibly challenging, and doesn’t flow as well as I’d like personally. If you’re up for the challenge, there’s a lot of love with this title. But if you’re easily frustrated, you might be better off with more satisfying titles in the genre.

To hear me talk more about Pronty, be sure to listen to our March 9th, 2023 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 48:45 time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Pronty provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PC via Steam and GOG.