Type:Rider review for Nintendo Switch

A lot of what I wrote about Type:Rider when it originally came out on PS4 and the Vita still applies now that it?s out on the Switch. It?s still gorgeous, for starters. Taking fonts and turning them into entire worlds is a phenomenal idea, and the way that developers Novelab captured the essence of fonts like Times, Garamond, and Helvetica is pretty impressive. Add in a score to match, whether it?s Gregorian Chant (to go with Gothic) or upbeat jazz (Helvetica), and you can see why it?s easy to appreciate what Type:Rider does on an aesthetic level.

On top of that, it weaves in the history of each font in a way that seems entirely natural. Type:Rider is an educational game that doesn?t feel like one, which is always the best kind of educational game.

As for my complaints from that old review? The good news is that performance isn?t an issue on the Switch. Whatever technical problems I may have had a few years ago aren?t present here, which can only be considered a good thing, since it means it?s easier to enjoy those lovely graphics.

Unfortunately, my other — bigger — complaint still applies. While controlling two dots instead of a single ball is certainly different, it?s also a massive pain to manoeuvre them across the platforms on account of it being super awkward. It also doesn?t help that the game?s physics are inconsistent.Sometimes the dots have no problem jumping massive distances, while others they struggle to even go from one ledge to another one nearby. You can bounce the dots off walls to get higher, except when you can?t. Sometimes the dots have a tiny bit of give in tight spots, while other times even getting in the vicinity of a pointy object makes them explode. It changes regularly without any warning, and it makes it hard to enjoy a game that shouldn?t be hard to enjoy at all.

Of course, seeing as Type:Rider is only $3 or so, it?s hard to know how harshly to judge the game. For that price, it?s almost worth it just to see the graphics in action — provided you?re aware that dealing with lousy platforming is part of the price of admission as well.

ARTE Experience provided us with a Type:Rider Switch code for review purposes.