The lumbering speed of
player controlled character Hiro kills any energy the game could have built. Enemies plod
about on the ground, moving and turning when they're programmed to. There's no
satisfaction from wiping out one enemy, and it doesn't change when you take down 50 of
them. Hiro's only unique power is his jumping ability, flinging himself onto any platform in view. Weapons are dull and predictable. You can shoot or slash.
It feels more like an adventure game, or that you're supposed to be looking for something. The six levels here never give players that chance. They walk (never run) through each stage until the screen no longer scrolls to the left. Only the boss fights offer some brief thrills, and even that is diluted by the complete lack of music.
The ability to buy power-ups isn't a unique one, but Switchblade II offers it. Anything to break up the monotonous gameplay is welcome. Money isn't prevalent, yet you have to try to not buy anything you need. These few static screens offer the only decent graphics. The main game shows a small hero, and enemies that are nearly the same color as the background at times.
This might make an average introduction for a small child into action gaming. The speed of the game seems suited to their still developing reaction time, and there's not much of a fight from the enemies. Anyone else is better off elsewhere, and even though the Lynx doesn't offer something like Contra, the sheer average-ness of this makes it unbearable.
