World to the West (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Drew Hurley 15.01.2018

Review for World to the West on Nintendo Switch

Coming from the creators of the indie megahit, Teslagrad, this standalone follow-up - World to the West - sees four new heroes, each with their own story and special abilities, explore a very different part world to its that first entry. This latest title is very different to its predecessor. Instead, it jumps from a scrolling 2D platformer to a puzzle-filled, top-down adventure that is reminiscent of the classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Fittingly, A World to the West opens on a young Teslamancer, named Lumina. This young lady is the first hero and it is her misadventure that kick-starts the story. Lumina is playing with some ancient technology and is transported to a land unlike anything she knows. Her arrival was somewhat meant to be, though, as an ancient crone seems to be expecting her and the world is littered with totem poles made up of four faces, one of which is actually Lumina's.

Screenshot for World to the West on Nintendo Switch

The first few chapters are spent introducing Lumina and the other three heroes, giving them a little story to tell, establishing their special skills and outfitting them with some new ones. World to the West is very much a game based on teamwork. The world is filled with obstacles that can only be overcome by specific members of the team and utilising each is the key to progressing, switching between each character as new paths are blazed.

Starting with the aforementioned Lumina, as a Teslamancer she has the ability to do short "hop" teleports. Only in a straight line and for a set distance, but this is used in puzzles where she can teleport through certain obstructions or to make leaps across gaps. Next to be introduced is Miss Teri, something of an adventurer whose special abilities branch into the mind-bending. Miss Teri can throw her scarf to grapple onto posts and pull herself across, but also after receiving a power-up is also able to control any animal in the environment. This lets her take on numerous puzzles, riding a mind-controlled giant Catfish, getting a piggyback from a Mandrill, and getting it to toss her onto unreachable heights and more.

Screenshot for World to the West on Nintendo Switch

After Miss Teri comes the diminutive Knaus, a child slave with a shovel and some dynamite who can crawl through tiny spaces and blow open paths for his fellows to follow. Finally, there is Lord Clonington, a '50s-style strongman with fists that can punch through obstructions and with enough tensile strength to be able to climb.

Each has a little introduction story, which then all combine as the group comes together to take on the main villain, who has a link with each. Miss Teri was working for him, but found herself in his dungeon after being betrayed. Knaus was a child slave, told lies and forced to mine with other children, all overseen by the antagonist. Lord Clonington is fighting for recognition from the villain. Lumina wants the same technology that the villain is trying to collect, but while he gathers it to rule, she just wants to be able to get home. On top of the story, there is a huge amount of batteries to try and track down hidden away in every corner of this world. There's a very different aesthetic with the environments here, shifting from a steampunk experience to a large overworld of varied locales - desert and tundra, forest and caverns.

Screenshot for World to the West on Nintendo Switch

Traversing the large world becomes easier and easier as World to the West progresses. The totem poles act as checkpoints, which can be fast-travelled between once visited once - at least for the character who has visited it, meaning that each character has to traverse the whole map, and there are unique paths and obstructions, so each has to make their own way.

After finishing the game, which will take 7-8 hours, there is another obstacle to overcome - a grand ancient door that requires all of the batteries to be gathered up to see the true end of this story. It's not only fun to figure out each of the ways to get at them, but totally worth it for the conclusion, too.

Screenshot for World to the West on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

A World to the West is actually superior to its predecessor. The puzzles are wonderful and offer up some real head-scratching challenges, and the mechanics are engaging and fun. Parallels are evident between this and A Link to the Past and considering the quality of that game, in the comparison, it shows the quality of this one. A real surprise here, it is definitely one of the best Nindies to hit Nintendo Switch yet, and considering some of the titles hitting the console recently, that's really saying something.

Developer

Rain

Publisher

Rain Games

Genre

Adventure

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

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   

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