Retro City Rampage is no stranger to multi-platform gaming. It’s literally been on just about every system possible since its initial launch on Windows in 2012. It only makes sense then that it would finally come to the Nintendo Switch, in the Retro City Rampage DX package from VBLANK Entertainment. And aside from the wonderful 3DS version, it just might be the best place you could possibly play RCR while waiting for the sequel, Shakedown Hawaii. This is our Retro City Rampage DX review for the Nintendo Switch.
Retro City Rampage DX is the quintessential version of RCR, and that makes sense since it’s probably the last version we’ll see (maybe?). It’s incredibly feature-rich, in everything from packing in the brutally difficult original RCR gameplay (the DX version is generally “easier” with no real consequence for death), and tons of graphical stylings and screen borders and filters to make it feel like an arcade, a Game Boy, and so forth.
On the Switch, in handheld mode, it plays marvelously, though I admit the chaotic action is a bit rough to follow on the smaller screens (something I had issues with on 3DS as well). That could just be my old eyes, though. I prefer it on the big screen, with the Switch Pro Remote, where it truly shines. The twin-stick shooting and aiming is perfected here over the 3DS version, and it really helps as there’s always someone to kill in Retro City.
The game’s a pastiche of 80s action games and movies, and nails just about every classic title you can think of from the original Metal Gear to Skate or Die and Paper Boy. Its humor may be a little long in the tooth for some, considering it’s not as cutting edge as it once was, but there are few games who do the parody stylings as well as RCR even today.
Gameplay wise, you’ll be hard-pressed to run out of things to do in RCR. Not only is there a free roam mode right off the bat, but the New Game+ is crazy and off the wall too. We’re talking dozens of hours of gaming here, and if you’ve never played RCR before, probably even more. I don’t hesitate when I say that Retro City Rampage is a must play for any retro-gaming fan, open world fan, or Nintendo gamer. It’s iconic, and worth the investment. And yes, RCR DX on the Switch is probably the best version out there.
