Switch Is Getting Another N64-Inspired Platformer, And It Looks Great

Looks promising for sure!

I wish someone would make a spiritual successor to Rocket: Robot on Wheels, as that might just be my favorite N64 platformer. It doesn't have the satisfying controls of Mario 64, but overall I feel it's a better consistent experience from front to back.

I've played through this on PC and can confirm it's delightful.

They really nailed the N64 aesthetic. Really takes me back to the old days.

Touches the nostalgic feels. ❤️

Oooh, I had this game wishlisted on Steam in case I ever get a Steam Deck! Very happy it's coming to Switch now! 3D platformers are my bread and butter, man. I've made it my mission to own pretty much every game in the genre this gen. I think there's another one exclusive to Steam Deck right now where you play as a little robot. (It's not Astro, lol.) Hope that one comes over as well!

I can play n64 styled platformers for legit the end of time. I never get bored of them, From the originals like Super Mario 64, and Banjo Kazooie to mcbat 64 and the Toree games. Keep them coming ill keep buying them and loving them to death!

@Not_Soos Are you talking about the Electric Jester perhaps?

N64 to me is an era of hideous looking games. I never liked how the games played either. Only a few games that I really liked on the system, and none of them were platformers.

So this is not for me. They nailed the aesthetic, though. Great for lovers of the genre.

Love these kind of platformer, this is when 3D platformers were at their best. The N64 was the best console of great 3D platformers. Definitely getting it soon.

Got some Paper Mario vibes in addition to Banjo and Spyro. Looks absolutely wonderful, though the release date is tough as someone psyched for Rebirth. Will wish list and eventually try, very nice to see games like this being made.

I'm definitely interested. Looks fun! Seems like something the wife and I can play together.

As much as I don't like pixel graphics games the N64 is even worse. I'd really like to see how many people who never owned it or played on an N64 think this is the aesthetic to emulate in 2024.🤷

@Arcata No, although that might be another to add to the list! I looked it up, and the one I was referring to is called, "Boti: Byteland Overclocked."

What do you mean "it looks great?" It's been out on PC for a while. You're a journalist. Do your research. The game is quite good. You don't need to throw around conjecture.

@rjejr Me I wasn't even alive back then but it was the golden era of 3d platformers and it's one of my favorite genres so I will wishlist this game.

Shelnert looks like Cap’n!
I’m adding this to my wishlist - I love me a good collectathon platformer. (I grew up in that n64 era)

I want this so bad! 🥹🥹

Seems pretty neat. I’ll add it to my wishlist.

Looks pretty good, though I'm getting a little tired of everything having N64-era graphics. I would like to see some Dreamcast/PS2-era graphics get used in more games.

This looks great! Hopefully it lives up to that.

I get the nostalgia is fun for a few hours but we have so much power in new consoles, I don't understand why so many games are 8 bit all the way to N64 quality. I know graphics doesn't make a game but what's the point of moving on with tech when we're going to be stuck 30 years in the past.

I really like this aesthetic that reminds N64 platformers. This is very charming. Very tempting to me.

@NinjaNicky I pretty much agree. If this game had modern graphics it would look stunning. What makes a game beautiful is the art style, not the polygon count.

NGL, I'd prefer it if it looked like the cover art.

It looks really fun and cute and I do miss this type of game.

But even though I grew up with the N64 I don’t have any nostalgia for it’s visuals. They’re not great. Not like pixel art which ages well. I know it’s a lot more work but I’d much rather it looked like that promo art.

@NinjaNicky I guess you will never buy a vinyl turntable then?
That’s not a good logic

There are some experiences and aesthetics that can’t be accomplished using just what modern technology capabilities and trends are available at the moment.

There will always be things that trascend modern times.

Also these games are so few in between that when one releases it’s seen as a gem because of how rare they are.

@Daniel36
Yes, I feel the same.
That first venture into 3D graphics did not age well.
The PS1 is also ugly as heck.
There are exceptions of course, but for the most part...
I also get the "clunky" feeling too for some games.

Oh yeah, I heard about this one.

Interesting coincidence, I just got this game on steam a few days ago and played it for the first time today. It's quite a fun N64 style 3d platformer with great music, fun controls, and (so far) well designed levels and worlds. It runs locked at 90 frames per second on my Deck and looks amazing in motion. I'd say it's safe to assume it'll run locked at 60fps on Switch and will feel great to play that way too.
It makes me think of Lunistice and Spyro and Toree, as well as Super Kiwi 64.

@RupeeClock How is Clive and Wrench? I know it got bad reviews, but I realized that critics reviews of collectathon games really cannot be trusted, most of the problems they always have with the genre is something that has to do with them not being the target audience.

I also dislike how they keep on trying to define the entire genre as something intrinsically old that should be made more modern.

Looks excellent. Will buy.

@Yoshif3 Well for me it depends on what we're talking about. Some things were better in the past, some things weren't. For example, would you want a game today where you couldn't save?

I think some graphics from the past are good, like the 16-bit era, but the N64/PS1/Saturn era was by far the ugliest era in terms of visuals imo, and it's an era I don't feel we need to return to.

@Rainbowfire I don’t know… for example, at the moment I’m playing Zelda: Sealed Palace… all with the N64 aesthetic and Im enjoying it leagues above TotK.
The polygonal aesthetic gives it the feeling of the best Zelda era imo, which is the same this game is trying to achieve with 3D platformers.
If it was made with a modern aesthetic it would have gone unnoticed tbh.

Modern doesn’t always means better.
And if you grew during those days there’s a special place for those polygons even if they are ugly. Sometimes it just lets you focus on other things like gameplay instead of graphics.

@Rainbowfire In my case, I prefer the N64/PSX/Saturn visuals to e.g. Atari VCS visuals.

Looks great but I will have to check out some let’s plays.

@Yoshif3 I Get what you're saying, and I think this sort of thing is fine every once in a while, but I still say art style matters more than graphics.

Look at the upcoming Penny's Big Breakaway. The game looks VERY nostalgic, even though it uses modern graphics. I think what people are really "nostalgic" for are those colorful characters and vibrant worlds, not making a game look dated on purpose.

@Rainbowfire You might be onto something, there. A lot of newer games try to emulate a pixelated and/or low-poly aesthetic, but they don't always succeed: the result is often something that looks vaguely retro on the surface, but fails to actually capture what made those older games look so good (spoiler: it's not the jagged pixels and flat polys)!

Very broadly speaking, I'd describe '90s graphics (both 2D and 3D) as attempting to portray rich detail, without being able to go fully into high fidelity/realism. In the modern day, there's no shortage of realistic games, but those obviously don't have much of a stylized or fantasy side. And there are also plenty of cartoonish games, but many of those tend to be sparse on detail, with low-contrast texture work and little in the way of moody lighting.

So glad to see that Diplodocus has helped with bringing the game to Switch! 🦕🎮