Butterscotch Shenanigans brought their hit crafting adventure, Crashlands, to the Nintendo Switch a few weeks ago. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I set aside some time to revisit the fun universe that I knew was waiting for me within the game. I originally played Crashlands when it released in 2016. Even though that was a long time ago, and my fond memories of the game had me eager to try the game out on the Switch.

Crashlands involves players in the life of Flux, an alien who crash lands (yep, get it?) on a primitive world after a mysterious space villain destroys Flux’s ship. Players familiar with crafting games will quickly fall into the rhythm of leaving the crash site to venture out in search of resources. Sticks and stones fill your pockets for the initial portions of the game, but eventually things progress and you’re able to construct stronger tools, gear and weaponry with the resources you scrounge from the planet.

The game sounds like countless other crafting games, but Crashlands has a heart and soul that most games can only dream of having. There is a charm to Crashlands, and all the odd creatures that inhabit the game, that I think speaks volumes of the developer’s personalities. The characters interact with banter that had me smirking, even after reading it for a second time. The Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe that Crashlands has is prominent in every pixel. From the slapstick combat system to the slightly-ugly-but-still-kind-of-cute characters, the game is silly fun from start to (probably) finish.

I say “probably” because Crashlands is a massive game. The scope of the game will likely surprise you. Even on PC, where RPGs typically have large worlds, I was surprised when I opened the map and panned back to see how large the map was. As I zoomed out from my location on the map, the colored-in sections that I had explored were engulfed by the blackness of unexplored territory. Seeing how big the map is for the first time was one of those moments when I realized that Crashlands was going to be one big, fun adventure. From what I’ve explored so far, it doesn’t look like any inch of that adventure is missing on the Switch.

Even after about eight hours in, I still have so much left to uncover, and the story is showing no signs of wrapping up any time soon. The game is easily worth the $15 price of admission.

Crash and Go – Playing Crashlands in Handheld Mode

The majority of my time spent playing Crashlands was in the Switch’s handheld mode. I’m happy to say that the game runs perfectly on the Switch. The frame rate held steady with no noticeable drops, even when combat got intense. Navigating the menu system take s a little getting used to, but on-screen instructions are always visible without being intrusive and hand-holdy.

The Switch’s touch-screen is even utilized, which shouldn’t surprise me considering Crashlands is also available for Android and iOS devices, but it was a nice surprise to poke a crafting ingredient and see a brief description pop up. One aspect of Crashlands that I was disappointed to find missing is rumble support. With all the whacking, smacking, and belly-flopping that combat involves, it’s a shame that I couldn’t feel it as I played it.

Combat takes a little bit to get used to. Running toward an enemy or resource highlights the enemy/resource with a circle, and the interact button either initiates the attack or the pick-up interaction.  Focusing on attacking specific enemies can get a little funky if there are lots of enemies moving around together, or if an enemy is in a cluster of resources. Crashlands uses red indicators to show exactly where the enemy will strike, but the alert is usually just enough time for you to move out of the way, but rarely enough time to attack and then move. This kept the game from becoming a slug fest, as I had to strategically go in for an attack or two and be ready to get out of the way with a few second’s notice.

So when it comes to combat, players must learn the attack types of each enemy and the attack pattern to avoid being absolutely destroyed by surprisingly powerful alien creatures.

Even as my second adventure (technically third, but I didn’t play the iOS version for very long) in Crashlands, the game was a delight to play. The sense of adventure and scale is complimented by the game’s great sense of humor and gameplay mechanics. Upgrades and unlockables are common enough to keep you playing…just be sure to pack your charger because it was easy for me to lose track of time and completely drain my Switch’s battery in a single session.

Crashlands is one of those games you’ll have a hard time forgetting. Shelve it next to Ori and the Blind Forest and Trine 2, it’s an indie classic.

Crashlands was reviewed with a retail copy provided by the publisher.