Our final ever review for the Nintendo Switch may not be a Nintendo title, but it certainly takes influence from a very well-known first party 8 bit title: Super Mario Bros 2. The game, which had you picking up turnips and enemies to throw at your foes, feels very much like a modern reinterpretation of that formula – and it’s something I never really knew I wanted.

Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.

DOKI DOKI ASSAULT
Selecting from either Mama or Pelle Lök, the owners of a quaint little onion farm, you have to protect yourselves from the invading red menace! With their beefy arms, they can pull out growing vegetables to attack their foes – or they can stand on the cubic hears of their enemies and pick them up instead! Their strength knows few bounds either, with rocks, bombs, and even tanks all pick-up-able with a little effort.

Image

Set over 16 levels, split into four worlds, you’ll need to overcome various platforming challenges to reach the end point. These worlds don’t really have any kind of cohesive theming to tie each together, but the various biomes and platforming challenges that are present all provide plenty of fun. Sure, there’s very little here that you haven’t seen before – with many taken straight from Mario’s playbook, but the level designs are all pretty strong and all have this beautiful aesthetic that maintains the developer’s signature ‘look’ whilst also being far more beautiful than any of his previous work.

Much like the game it takes inspiration from, Onion Assault offers a classic NES style difficulty without being too obnoxious about it. First time players will no doubt find the game punishing with your meagre three hit points and limited life stock, but once you get used to how the game plays it’s not as tough as it seems. There may be some levels that prove challenging – but none of them are particularly long; as such, having to simply redo the level from the start after losing all your lives never feels like too much of a punishment.

Image

It’s not the platforming though that makes the game feel so special, it’s the incredible boss fights. Considering Bertil is the brains behind Mechstermination Force, it should come as no surprise that the bosses here are incredibly creative and puts your skills to the test. With the game only lasting a couple of hours, it would have been nice to have had a boss rush mode so that you could replay these sections again at your leisure.

VERDICT
All in all, Onion Assault is a fantastic love letter to Super Mario Bros 2 and offers a really strong platforming experience for a budget price point. It’s not all perfect, with some of the momentum-based platforming being a pain, but these moments are few and far between. Considering this is the best game from the developer’s already impressive catalogue, you’ll probably want to look into this one.