After teasing Othello a whole generation ago in the Wii U reveal trailer, the classic title finally gets a release in the form of an eShop download, available at launch for Nintendo Switch. Although currently it's widely available on tablets and phones, and even playable for free as a browser-based Flash game online, the timing of the official return of this classic NES title makes sense, given the portable and multiplayer advantages that the Switch enables. The Joy-Con and handheld mode of the console allows for two-player, whenever, wherever, making Othello's re-release logical and justifiable. However, does it do enough for a paid-for modern incarnation? Considering the Switch will likely attract many other types of board game-style tablet experiences, Cubed3 considers whether the budget price point is reasonable in light of such competition.
Based on the two hundred year-old board game, Reversi, Othello first found success on the NES way back in 1986. Of all the games in Arc Systems Works' history, though, it's certainly a surprising first choice as its first project for Nintendo Switch. Nonetheless, the system's Joy-Con enables a joyfully simplistic means of two-player on-the-go fun, and considering the reasonable price, it's certainly a welcome addition to the rather barren eShop. It's also one of the few games available at launch that makes any use of the console's touchscreen.
The objective of Othello is to end the game with as many tiles of the player's chosen colour as possible, by capturing and cornering the opponent's pieces until there are no possible moves left to make. While this may sound rather simplistic on the surface, there's actually a lot of depth to the potential tactics. For those wanting a relaxed, turn-based game to play amongst friends, this is definitely a candidate.
The local multiplayer with the Joy-Con works very well and is definitely where the game shrines the most. It's easy to envisage fans of the board game chalking up a lot of mileage with this small, very reasonably priced release since it could be passed around friends in a variety of situations. For those who wish to play by themselves, the CPU provides a very mean challenge at high difficulty, but it's an altogether woeful one at beginner difficulty. The lack of any middle-ground means progression for learners will be a bit of a challenge unless other players are available. This makes it even more of a shame that there's no online multiplayer, which seems like the obvious mode to add in order to make this really feel like a modernised re-release.
The presentation is generally very clean, with the menu system very clear and straightforward. There's also a section explaining the rules of the games, which might be useful for first-time users to skim over. The audio is upbeat, and presumably meant to sound somewhat 'retro,' although perhaps in practice it comes off as a little irritating. Thankfully, it can be played on mute with nothing lacking, since audio-cues aren't really required. One thing that would have been nice was if the Joy-Con rumbled to indicate the player's turn, which seems like a missed feature.
