Putty Squad (Hands-On) (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

By Adam Riley 28.09.2013

Review for Putty Squad (Hands-On) on Nintendo 3DS

The classic from the Amiga and SNES is back, under the guidance of System 3, in the form of Putty Squad. Whilst initially listed as coming to Wii U when first unveiled, the only Nintendo edition that looks like appearing at the moment is that of the one on 3DS. Cubed3 got chance to play an in-development build recently to see how it is shaping up.

Want to relive the 'golden days' of gaming? Now it is possible as System 3 is bringing the classic Putty-led game back for a modern day audience, revamping the old Ocean-published title. Whilst not necessarily one of the most anticipated titles at the recent Eurogamer Expo, the lady assigned to the booth for the duration of the show did an amazing job of selling it, encouraging those passing by to jump in and stick through to the end of the demo…or until one of the various glitches were found. Sadly, a glitch was indeed what halted Cubed3's time with Putty Squad (clearing a stage froze the game completely, forcing a hard reset of the 3DS system), and on top of the multitude of elements that were not properly explained in the game, it would not be shocking to hear that this was a big disappointment.

However, with a little coaxing, and some perseverance to get past the lack of clear instructions yet abundance of text, and the problems coming from a quickly finished off pre-release build, what was experienced was a rather enjoyable platform-puzzle outing. Want something a bit different from the norm? Then Putty Squad should be placed on every 3DS owner's radar!

Screenshot for Putty Squad (Hands-On) on Nintendo 3DS

Putty Squad puts players in control of a small blue piece of putty that can inflate for floating purposes (although too much drains the character's energy supply), absorb enemies and objects, stretch to reach new locations, as well as use all manner of weapons and key items thanks to quick and simple use of the touch screen (throw bombs, fire missiles, and so on).

The beauty of this 3DS version is that gamers will have access to a whole host of secret levels, with them being released every two weeks as downloads. What was on offer in this early build was pleasing enough, though, if somewhat confusing in places. However, figuring out the best means of getting past enemies, collecting all of the required putty in a stage to open the final doorway, and uncovering lots of secret passages along the way was indeed great fun.

Screenshot for Putty Squad (Hands-On) on Nintendo 3DS

Final Thoughts

Other than the glitches, which will hopefully all be removed before release (notes were being fed back to the developer), Putty Squad does indeed hark back to its impressive roots. Some may find it hard to get into at first, especially given its (purposeful) retro look and somewhat unintuitive tutorial system, but with some perseverance it really comes to life and shows why people loved the original games so much in the first place. Certainly an intriguing prospect to keep an eye out for (currently listed as 'Summer 2013').

Developer

System 3

Publisher

System 3

Genre

2D Platformer

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now    Also on Also on Nintendo eShop

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