Game: Goblin Sword
Developer: Gelato Games
Publisher: Gelato Games
Release: 13 February 2020
Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Review copy purchased. Original review here.

GELATO GAMES might not have known it back in 2014, but it unleashed a beast. A tiny, pocket-sized beast that would have taken many by surprise when it unexpectedly washed up on Nintendo Switch six years later.

It certainly startled me.

But Goblin Sword was always destined to pole-vault outside of the mobile space.

NOSTALGIC NOVELTY

At first blush, Goblin Sword is an unassuming 2D platformer. It’s the sort of game that would attract major critique for leaning too heavily on pixel art and milking the retro concept, which are two crimes independent developers apparently commit on a regular basis depending on who you ask. And yet, despite the clear nostalgic influence, Goblin Sword is no Mario or Mega Man. Like Seven of Nine, it’s an individual. And in 2020, it has returned with an indefatigable spirit, still as enjoyable as it was upon first release.

Goblin Sword is one of the best platformers on iOS. Its levels are flawlessly designed, laden with secrets and a variety of NPCs that have unique attack styles. More often than not, the difficulty hits the sweet spot.

A weak RPG backbone ensures this by offering the player several weapons and gameplay-modifying relics. There is a constant urge to explore, collect, and upgrade, and given the convenient portability of mobile devices, it’s tempting to overindulge.

That temptation is preserved on Nintendo’s Switch—a hybrid machine that lets you carry your progress from the television screen to work, school, and, although many would be reluctant to publicly admit it, the toilet. Compared to mobile, the Switch boasts much larger real estate on its screen, which immediately positions us to expect something even more grand and spectacular.

And, whist it’s true the Gelato bros have clearly invested considerable effort into touching up background art—work which deserves much praise—there is an important caveat to be made.

OUT OF FOCUS

A bigger screen means more space, and more space means every artistic sin you could have gotten away before with is suddenly magnified. Naked as a jaybird. The Great Forest area is especially guilty of this.

Observe the tight, detailed outlines in the trees and bushes adorning the top image (mobile). Then cast your glance at the borderless, fuzzy flora present in the image beneath (Switch). The Switch illustrations look remarkably blander in every level of this area. It’s as if the very edges which helped emphasise Goblin Sword‘s beautiful scenery have been blunted. For shame, I say. Fortunately, the remainder of the levels use noticeably more intricate environment art.

LIFTING THE HAZE

Ancient Castle makes an instant impression with a gorgeous stone statue relief. You should note the extra attention given to ensuring the knight’s outline this time results in an appropriate level of contrast. And the improvements don’t stop there. Entirely new stone wall sections have been superimposed upon the original village-style background, and it makes for a sweet, sweet parallax scroll.

This streak of TLC continues in Dark Caves, where a menacingly beautiful panther can be seen snarling at you from the distance. Check out those pearly whites!

The Lost City regresses somewhat with sloppy foliage, but makes up for it with neatly drawn monolithic walls.

Gelato Games finishes on a safe note, with untouched renditions of the Shadow Temple and Sacred Ruins.

The net effect of all these additions is that the player feels like they’re exploring an entirely different level. If you’ve spent any amount of time digesting Goblin Sword on mobile, you’re absolutely going to marinate and barbecue yourself in the artistry here. Indeed, there’s a little spark of delight whenever you encounter something new; you think, did Gelato Games perhaps include a secret area in here that’s not advertised on the level select screen? In games, it’s moments like those that can make a difference between liking and loving. When the developer rewards curiosity and exploration with secrets and surprises, the player feels special. It’s that conspiratorial wink between player and designer:

“You dug through my intricate, messy labyrinth, so here is a small token for your efforts. Who knows, there could be more if you keep searching.”

When a game is designed well, and Goblin Sword definitely is, the player enters Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state and will continue searching for those tokens—almost indefinitely.

A TACTILE TRANSITION

Aside from the graphics overhaul, perhaps the biggest change to Goblin Sword is how you actually play it.

Gone is the cold, glass surface of the iPhone. Gone is the ability to lazily drag your finger between ‘A’ and ‘B’. On Switch, everything needs to be punched. Violently. I mean the bad guys! Obviously. When punching the Switch buttons—a transition console gamers should be very comfortable with—please be gentle. They’re fragile. Overall, the transition feels extremely natural, and gameplay is quite similar. Perhaps that’s a good thing, since Goblin Sword hardly put a foot wrong in its previous life. Players should however notice the increased frame rates and enhanced input responsivity, which make the mobile version look pretty sluggish in comparison. To illustrate, if the hero equips the winged boots and performs a triple jump, each successive leap is clearly visible on the Switch’s screen. Boom, boom, boom. This wasn’t previously possible, so watching the animation is extremely satisfying. Enemies are faster, too. This means the mobile-trained crowd will have to adjust their defence response to compensate. And last but not least, the micro-side. Movement feels a touch more slippery on Switch, and although it’s just a fraction of the slide Mario has in Super Mario Bros., it succeeds in giving Goblin Sword a small forward-momentum push. This does have one interesting side effect.

DASHING FOR ETERNITY

You can’t fall into tight gaps when running like before, which could be potentially hazardous in a speedrun. But more importantly, it’s difficult to drop down even whilst moving slowly, which is a little bit inconvenient. This is consistent across all levels. Below I demonstrate Lost City and Ancient Castle.

OPERATION: REMOVE GLITCH

There’s always someone who’ll mourn when certain glitches are exorcised from a game. In this case, it’s me. I’m the one with the grey coat huddling over the gravestones of ceiling jump and underwater walking glitches with flowers. RIP.

For the uninitiated, certain levels with low, accessible ceilings (Lost City 4-13, Dark Caves 4-8) allowed you to jump out of bounds onto the ceiling whilst in ‘goblin form’ (with morph talisman equipped). This was a marvellous discovery. Another marvellous discovery (originally supplied by an anonymous commenter on my unofficial Goblin Sword game guide) was the glitch which enabled underwater dashing. Typically, entering water (or lava) in Goblin Sword will slow down movement considerably. But, if the player jumps, then immediately dashes into a liquid/lava area (with lightning boots equipped), quick underwater movement is suddenly possible.

But fret not, glitch connoisseurs, for there is a new development boo-boo with extremely amusing consequences. And you can view it for yourself below.

This rogue tusked goblin in the Sacred Ruins will completely abandon his normal patrol behaviour if you break his shield. He then continues to walk leftward through walls, in mid air, you name it. Harmless glitches like these don’t impede game performance and provide extra, unintended entertainment to the player who accidentally discovers them. In a sense, they’re a secret reward. As such, they’re a ‘friendly’ weed that needn’t be trimmed.

Harmful weeds are a different story altogether. Luckily, Gelato Games clamped down on the most serious offender: a game crash that would occasionally occur when weaponry explosions overloaded a screen densely populated with enemies. This erased level progress, so being able to slay beasts with the great axe in high chaos without fearing a possible crash is a huge relief.

IF IT AIN’T BROKE

To my great delight, all the locations of treasures and crystals remain unchanged. Boss fights too feature the same attack patterns and hit points. They’re still fun, memory based challenges; nothing has been nerfed or transformed into a hypergod of death. One change that made me sad was that regular boomerang-throwing goblins will now attack you even while you’re in goblin form. I miss the little question mark that would pop up above their heads as they’d completely stop in their tracks, staring at you in confusion. A minor nitpick in a sea of excellence, but it’s these little things players tend to remember.

Goblin Sword is available now for $4.99.