Game: Charge Kid
Genre: Platformer, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also PC)
Developer|Publisher: Pineapple Works
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: UK £1.79 | EU €1,99 | US $2.49
Release Date: January 6th 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to Pineapple Works
Power Up
Charge Kid is a puzzle platformer that comes to Switch at an attractive price point. But this is not your typical platformer where you just jump from the right side of the screen to the left. This game will require you to have your best thinking cap on to overcome its challenges. My cap was a nice black one I often wear out for chilly walks in the Winter. But enough about my headwear, lets talk about Charge Kid.
You play as a pixel looking fella who needs to get to the goal for each level for unknown reasons. My theory is that you play as an internet impulse delivering some data to a Switch player hard drive. Your success will determine if their download of the Monster Hunter Rise demo is successful or not. In reality, the game keeps things simple. Launching you straight into the levels. The graphics are simple pixel sprites set against dark backgrounds. But when you jump around there’s this satisfying explosion of pixels, like a mini pixel firework display.
Puzzling Platformer
Charge Kid is an interesting puzzle platformer as the controls themselves play into the puzzle-solving just as much as observing the level layout. The main mechanics are finding these red charge points dotted about the levels which turn your character red enabling you to perform a double jump. But you can also shoot out an energy orb which can hit these red charge points which also turn you red. Your shot can also be made to hover in mid-air and you can teleport to it so long as you are charged up.
These mechanics are easy to get to grips with but you will need to use these in clever combinations to leap over spike pits and activate switches to unlock doors. The game will occasionally flag up a hint here and there but you’re otherwise left to your own devices. I found myself scratching my head and trying various techniques to get through levels for quite some time. Sometimes walking away and returning later seemed to be the best approach. It’s not exactly a fast-moving platformer, very much start and stop to think about things. This sounds pretty good for most gaming audiences but I would advise you do need to have some quick reflexes with the controls to conquer some of the games challenging puzzles.
Prepare to Die
There are spike traps everywhere in this game so expect to die quite a bit while trying to figure out how to make an absurd jump across a large platform. Fortunately, each level has multiple checkpoints which load instantly. I was compelled to retry a fair few times before becoming bored and taking a break. I never particularly felt frustrated but you tend to hit another wall very quickly so making progress in this game is very slow. When you do succeed you feel pretty good.
This does feel like a title people may pick up but then flock to YouTube to see how to solve each level, trouble is once you know the solution it gives little incentive to replay. Another weird feature I discovered is that you can’t take screenshots of this game on Switch something I have never encountered with any other game up to this point. So might be a little harder to share your success with friends over social media.
You Did Good Kid
Charge Kid may have a simple graphical design but its design its quite unique if you’re looking for a good head-scratcher and have the reflexes to match.
This is not a game that will appeal to everyone but at a cheap price point, it may be worth a try if you’re looking for something different.
Final Verdict: I like itÂ
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