Relic Hunters Zero Remix Switch Review

The PC domain is foreign to me, so I usually have to take any promo material that states Relic Hunters Zero Remix has a devoted community as gospel.

But it doesn’t hurt to be able to play the game myself and make my own opinion as to whether it’s any good or not.

I’ve had the game for long enough to to make an informed decision if it’s any good or not, and through the power of technology share a…

… Relic Hunters Zero Remix Switch Review

Storywise, Relic Hunters Zero Remix is a loot raid: leaving your good ship Spaceheart, you and your fellow reprobates of playable characters hunt for relics on the asteroid Nemesis.

It’s essentially a dungeon crawler, but one of the brightest. It’s almost as if it’s was designed by the Apple team who did the 00s iTunes adverts – very colourful, very vibrant.

In some respects, you could say that Relic Hunters Zero Remix is a game aimed at kids.

While the colours and cute accessible graphics will win over the younger audiences, it’ll also maintain an older demographic as the game is pretty bloody hard.

Especially if you play it on your own.

The enemy you face is Duke Ducan over 12 levels of blasting.

In the news piece on the game, the inclusion of an enemy named Ducan would have served better as Duncan. 

Still, he and his legion of ducks do serve up a threat, even if that lack of an ‘n’ in his names doesn’t.

Duncans are badass.

Variable Ways To Die

Relic Hunters Zero Remix has a vast selection of modes to choose from, though most are unlocked either through progress or by paying for it the bounty you accumulate through the game.

The mainstay is the Adventure mode, but there’s the option for Endless variant which is the same, only once you die, you lose everything you’ve won.

So Relic Hunters Zero Remix is a rogue-like of sorts, and depending on the difficulty you opt for, you’ll end up losing a lot of the gear you earn.

Through each successive playthrough, you can purchase new gear that will become available to select from the hub each time you die.

But it takes time and a lot of bounties.

With that in mind, Relic Hunters Zero Remix feels fresh. 

Despite the repeated playthroughs, the atmosphere that Rogue Snail and Akupara Games have presented is vibrant and full of energy.

Pixel Perfect

The controls are simple enough.

Moving the left stick moves your character, the right is for aiming. 

Unfortunately, the aiming is quite accurate.

I say unfortunately as hoping to take out a swarm with a spray of bullets; the trajectory is almost pixel perfect, so slapping your sausage fingers against the right stick in the direction of the enemies will not result in an instant kill.

However, hold down the ZL trigger and a laser guideline will appear, which is ace.

There are numerous weapons on offer and the standard grenade slot for taking out enemies. 

Grenades are particularly fun as you can stand behind an obstruction without the enemies seeing you and wipe them out in one hit.

Like a boss.

Melee attacks are particularly powerful, but the balance is there as getting up close and personal isn’t without its dangers.

Small Social Gatherings

I do like a good party game or multiplayer that I can include my daughter, but they’re usually short-lived – even the better titles.

Relic Hunters Zero Remix is an exception as it features a co-op mode which adds to the longevity of it.

Despite its appearance, the game is much more difficult than anticipated, so playing with a younger family member did lose their interest after a while – especially as General Vulgar was ordering his second in command to grind some levels to unlock new gear.

Grinding is wasted on the youth.

That said, the controls do allow anyone without a diploma in gaming to pick it up and play.

For those who take pride in having no friends or playing solo, you’re going to need to come out of your comfort shell and join that local club to meet new people: you need someone else for the ride.

That’s not to say you can’t solo Relic Hunters Zero Remix, but the game does get tricky later on and, depending on your character choice, you need another to complement your playing style.

Think of it as one playing the tank, and the other on ranged duties.

As mentioned, melee is very powerful, but the caveat means you’re vulnerable, so you could do with another player to bail you out.

A Little Bump N’ Grind

By far, the most frustrating thing I found with the game was the reloads.

There were far so many occasions where I was running around like a headless chicken waiting to get back into action.

It’s almost as if every single gun was the equivalent of a spud gun – it was the worst part of the game.

But being able to return to a level to improve each time, redeemed itself.

Repeating a process to get better at it emulates life, so upgrading stats or unlock new loot is more pleasurable than a chore.

The same applies to Relic Hunters Zero Remix as unless you’re untouchable; you’ll be expected to repeat levels to obtain bounties to unlock new weapons or characters.

After a short grinding session, we had managed to accumulate enough bounties to be able to unlock all early checkpoints to add a new character to the roster.

If only it went on a new weapon.

The new character, Raff, could fire his keytar through walls – a fantastic feat in itself but he has the vitality of a dog turd; one hit and boom! dead.

Melee characters are still my favourite here, so coupled with a decent range support player and you’ll go far, kid.

But there are seven playable characters in all, each with their traits.

In summary, Relic Hunters Zero Remix is one of those games that will grow on you. That is, I anticipate playing this in the months to come to finish unlocking everything else and improving my gaming kudos when it comes to staying power.

It doesn’t matter what she tells you, endurance counts, so get the training in with some Endless Mode.

Once you unlock it.

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