Oh My Godheads is the latest Nindie that is new to the Nintendo Switch but isn’t new to gamers in general. When you’re talking about a title that is new to a platform but isn’t new in general, it’s always a difficult needle to thread.
Launching for the Switch on September 25, the collaboration between Titutitech and the Square Enix Collaborative seems like one of those games that was always meant for the Switch. Party games are making a bit of a comeback. So are are couch co-op games.
All of this points to Oh My Godheads being a massive success on a console that seems especially built for the resurgent interest in co-op games you can play with friends and family located in the same room rather than online. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the game hit a bit of a snag.
This isn’t a particularly bad port of a game that’s already available on the PS4, the Xbox One and PC. The look and feel of the game even lend themselves to the Switch because you’re not going to be looking for deep, deep detail in the creation of the characters. We’re not seeing hair blowing in the digital win exactly the same way it would in the real world.
The sort of blocky animation style is actually quite charming. The gameplay on the Nintendo Switch is as fun and harrowing as it is on any other format.
Oh My Godheads Continues Party Game Resurgence
For those who haven’t played it yet (despite that fact it launched almost a year ago on the other formats) Oh My Godheads is a bit like Overcooked and its sequel. The difference here is that instead of running back and forth attempting to cook up one dish or another, the activities vary quite a bit more.
Some modes will have you running about the screen trying to dash and slash your way through enemies, either the computer or your friends and family. Others will have you trying to ferry a … God head from one place to another. All modes are relatively short and that’s a good thing. It allows anyone who loses a round to try again right away. Bragging rights become even more pronounced should you win over and over again.
On a big-screen HDTV, the game looks, as mentioned earlier, charming. Pretty much identical to the other platforms. Where the game falls short on the Switch is if you are trying to play it on the handheld screen.
Even on a giant television the characters and assets are pretty small. When they are scaled down to the size of a large smartphone, it becomes incredibly hard to see. This is annoying when you’re playing against the computer. It’s doubly so when you’re going up against someone else and you’re both trying to see those very small shapes running to and fro from a distance.
When you’re talking about games that require perfect timing in order to carry out some actions in Oh My Godheads, this becomes downright infuriating. Once again, it’s a good thing the modes are relatively short because if they were much longer, you’d likely be quitting in the middle.
To be clear, the assets and visuals for any game on the Nintendo Switch are going to have to be shrunk down when playing the handheld version. The difference here is when you are playing something like Dead Cells, you can hold the device as close to your face as you need in order to carry out your missions. That isn’t the case when you’re talking about a party game where people need to sit side by side and the portable screen is sitting on its kickstand in front of all of you.
Oh My Godheads is by no means a bad game. It just doesn’t live up to its billing as one that can be played anywhere and everywhere. At least it’s not one that is all that fun to play anywhere and everywhere.
Pros
- Charming animations
- Short modes add to replayability
- Pace leads to excitement
Cons
- Assets too small on the handheld device
- Figuring out how to complete tasks can be confusing
Conclusion
Oh My Godheads looks to take advantage of the couch co-op features that has made the Nintendo console so popular. On the television screen, it does that as well as it does on any other platform. When it comes to the reason we’re supposed to be excited it’s now on the Switch, it doesn’t come through.