Ginger: Beyond the Crystal (Nintendo Switch) Review

To start things off, the optimisation of this port is terrible; from long loading screens to massive frame-rate drops. It is genuinely hard to try and take in the proposals of platforming adventure when half the game looks like an animated GIF. Also, the draw distance is quite minimal, with on-screen grass and other in-game objects generating as you walk up to them. It really takes away from that level of platforming Zen and immersion.

Again, the style of the game really does give off original PlayStation era vibes, with looks that seem like it can deliver, but it ends up merely being something so broken in presentation, a state that was rarely seen in the golden age of 3D platforming, let alone ever witnessed in today's gaming landscape.

In-between levels and navigating the "free roam" world is rightfully rendered in three dimensions. The levels themselves actually are more of a 2D/3D hybrid, but it honestly feels like a massive cop out. During review, not one part of the score or the sound effect proved to be memorable or was well thought out, with everything fading into the background of a title suffering from bad development. One of the issues of said development is the clunky movement controls.

The gameplay is simple enough, with a few moves in the player's arsenal, of which one is actually of use. This would be the speed punch, as all the others take far too long to execute. The crystal activation is a pleasing way of fleshing out the story and structuring the level design and world. Then again, though, one of the highlighted points of this game is to rebuild homes and towns. With no customisation or bonuses for rebuilding, this is yet another redundant feature used to drag out the longevity by making it necessary to advance.