The Touryst Review (Nintendo Switch)

Game: The Touryst
Genre: Action/Adventure/Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch
Developers| Publishers: Shin’en Multimedia
Age Rating: EU 3+| US E
Price:  US $19.99|AU$30.00 |CA$26.24|£17.99|€19.99
Release Date: 21st November 2019

No review code used, bought the game myself. 

Let’s go on a Holiday…or not?

Is there a better way to start a New year than taking a holiday on a tropical island? Already released in November on the Nintendo Switch, The Touryst is all about going on a relaxing holiday. Well it was, until the unnamed protagonist wearing his Hawaiian shirt steps on to the sunny sands of the Touryst Island and speaks to a sunbathing blocky NPC and discovers there is more to the his holiday island than he was expecting.

After exploring the island he finds himself inside the Towa Monument. An old man tells him he must find four Monument Cores in order to reveal the worlds secrets. To get him started on his quest the old man gives him a Travel Guide which unlocks a different island to visit. As far as storylines go that’s about it for The Touryst, short and sweet! But then, the guy expected a relaxing holiday? So let’s not throw more problems at him!

Dancing, canoeing and souvenirs

After his chat with the old man you’re free to go off exploring and there is a good variety of places to explore and things to see. For instance, visiting the Travel Agent shop to purchase a camera leads to a quest to take pictures of the monuments you find on the islands. After exploring the island, a small speed boat and driver awaits you at the jetty to ferry you to your next destination island.

All the islands have lush colourful environments. There’s the party island of Ybiza with a dance floor full of little block people dancing to the beat of the music. And the island of Santoryn where you can go deep sea diving. You can also visit Fijy and take part in a tribal dance and go canoeing in the sea. Leysure Island is the place to find the perfect souvenir as it’s got shops and gaming arcades, much like any real seaside town. You can even play some of the arcades three retro games and try and beat Bob’s high score in between exploring and sightseeing.

All the mini games and quests from the NPC’s make for a fun diversion from the main quest of the game.

The Monuments are the real quest

The Monuments which are the Touryst equivalent of dungeons are easy to find on the islands though getting inside the monument isn’t always as simple. Unlocking the entrances requires some puzzle-solving. Once inside the Monument the game reverts to some tricky platforming incorporated with some more puzzles to solve and a boss battle. None of it is overly challenging though the platform sections can be a tad frustrating if your timing is off. Your little blocky tourist can’t die so trying again if you fail has no penalty.

As you make your way around the islands, talking to people and solving their problems, you’ll also collect coins and diamonds. These can be spent on a handful of new moves such as the ability to sprint or jump further.

Holiday atmosphere in sound and visuals

The Tourysts blocky graphics and bokeh backgrounds are very aesthetically pleasing. The arcade style soundtrack is great and this can be added to with a visit to the music store to find different tunes for the soundtrack. The effects of hearing the sea gulls call, the waves crashing on the shore and the sound of foot steps in the sand really add to the holiday atmosphere of the game.

The game ran very well and didn’t suffer from any frame rate issues. Controlling the touryst is simple and faultless.

Conclusion

The Touryst isn’t a long game, maybe 6-8 hours depending on your play style. There is nothing revolutionary in the game that we haven’t seen before, nevertheless with the focus on exploration and puzzle solving, it is a amusing and entertaining experience to play.

The main campaign may be a little short and fleshed out with the mini games which do add lots of fun. However, this island hopping adventure remains memorable and full of variety so you won’t regret giving it a playthrough.

Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot. 

I like it a lot!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *