Game: Stitchy in Tooki Trouble
Genre: Action, Platformer
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer|Publisher: Polygoat | Game Drive NL
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $14.99 | UK £11.69 | EU € 14,99
Release Date: April 15th, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to Game Drive NL
Corn Crisis
Stichy in Tooki Trouble (which we’ll just call Stitchy from now on) is a platformer that takes inspiration from the Donkey Kong Country series of 2D platformers. But if you were ever put off by the difficulty curve of that series this may be a platformer worth checking out.
The Tooki are causing all sorts of mayhem and have stolen all the corn. It’s up to Stitchy to stop scaring crows for a few hours in the field and get back all the corn possibly so your favourite breakfast cereal can be produced. A simple game with a very simple premise seen many times before. But few games have you play as a scarecrow with cute button eyes.
By the Numbers Platforming
You travel through 3 worlds with 9 levels apiece and a big boss fight at the end. The goal of each level is to reach the end in order to progress. There are enemies to defeat by jumping on their heads as well as lots of hazards to avoid. Sometimes the game mixes things up by having you ride in a minecart but for the most part, it’s a typical 2D platformer.
The extra incentive is to collect three totem pieces which if achieved across each level in a world and unlocks a secret level. If you finish the level under a certain time you can also obtain the typical 3-star rating. There are of course oodles of corn to collect. It’s the usual 100 and you get an extra life but there is something kinda satisfying about that munching sound you hear each time you collect it.
Colourful and Familiar
The graphics are colourful and vibrant with some very nice animations at play. 3D models set on a 2D plane, with a lot of attention to detail to Stichy himself, to the three core environments of Aztec ruins, Snow area and factories with lava pits. Stitchy is a cool little protagonist but a lot of the other designs feel like things that have been seen many times before. Not bad – but makes it feel a little too similar to the Monkey this game takes inspiration from.
Peak Performance
Stichy’s biggest strengths are its controls and simple pick up and play feel. Stitchy can jump, double jump and use a slam move to open boxes and find hidden areas. You can get into this nice rhythm with the game where you jump from enemy to platform and it all feels in constant motion.
Stitchy’s movement is quite slow so it’s relatively easy to follow on-screen without getting overwhelmed. It also performs brilliantly on TV and handheld mode. I never encountered any slow down or performance issues. This is an ideal game to pick up for short sessions and put down in short bursts. With such a simple control scheme it’s also quite easy to return to after playing other games.
Left Wanting More
Stitchy’s small niggle is it is a little on the short side. In total, you can run through this game in just a few hours depending on your experience with platform games. I was certainly left wanting more but I was very satisfied with what I played. The difficulty of the game leans on the easy side making this appealing to gamers looking for a more casual platform experience, but may not interest those that like the impossibly hard platform games.
Death was relatively uncommon for me and the game does include reasonable checkpoints. The main challenge was trying to get 3 star levels in the shortest time and collect all the totem pieces, but all of this is optional and not required to complete the game.
Conclusion
Stitchy in Tooki Trouble is a solid game, ideal for platform fans looking for a more manageable experience. The game doesn’t do much to set itself apart from the crowd except for its charming Scarecrow protagonist. But in terms of the performance and controls of the game, this is as good as the titans in its field. This is a decent first entry in a platform series.
Final Verdict: I like it
