Game: Webbed
Genre: Platformer, Action, Adventure
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows), PS4 & Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Sbug Games
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $19.99 | UK £16.99 | EU € 19,99
Release Date: February 2nd, 2022
Review code provided with many thanks to Sbug Games
Along Came A Spider
Webbed is a 2D puzzle platformer where you play as a cute and rather cuddly-looking spider. It’s quite rare in video gaming to play as a spider rather than have them feature as the enemy. Two titles that come to mind are Spider on PSone and Deadly Creatures on Wii, which I recommend looking up if you need more spider gaming in your life.
I remember seeing Webbed originally previewed on Steam and thinking that the idea looked unique. It’s something you’ll only see in the indie scene these days. I was very happy to see this make its way over to the Nintendo Switch recently. But is Webbed as cute and fun as it looks to play or more of a tangled mess? Let’s spin a web and find out.
A Bug’s Life
One day a fluffy pair of spiders are doing a fun little dance, the next moment the bright blue spider is kidnapped by a big bowerbird, which has quite the eye for anything blue and shiny. It’s up to you to explore the world and enlist the help of other bugs like ants, bees and dung beetles in order to find a way to rescue your boyfriend spider. The story is detailed in simple text boxes and suits the game’s cuddly cute pixel appearance. The game also features a rather calm but upbeat score to accompany you on your spider shenanigans.
Suitable for any Age
If you do really dislike the appearance of the spider the game does feature an arachnophobia mode. I can’t help but wonder if playing a game like this would actually help ease this fear. Especially since it puts a more welcoming spin on something many people find scary. But I’m no expert in this subject. The presentation of the game is suitable for absolutely anybody of any age. I can see this being a nice little game to play with younglings but you may need to play the game for them as the gameplay is a touch complex in places. I did come across one main niggle with the game’s performance. In some areas, the game really slowed to a crawl but fortunately, a restart seemed to fix this.
Look Out Here Comes a Spider
Like a little spider, you have the typical moves you might expect. When you begin it does a good job of teaching you the mechanics but if you do forget they are displayed clearly in the options menu. The most important move by far is the dance button. This is where you get to watch your little spider shake her little body for a bit, something that instantly brought on the good feels for me.
You can shoot a web to swing from on most surfaces in the game including other insects. Navigating the world like this is a ton of fun, probably more so than being Spiderman. You can also spin your own web by sticking it to other surfaces. If you want to you can pause your progress in the game to spend silly amounts of time just making an awesome spider web. This feature is also used to solve a lot of the game’s puzzles.
It’s a feature enjoyed but comes with some niggles. In certain sections of the game you often have to use this move to move objects about, like putting cogs in a machine and it just comes across as a bit fiddly. Maybe I was doing it wrong but I felt I had to stick silly amounts of web to the surfaces to pull objects where they need to be.
Aim the Web
Aiming the web in the right spot often became tricky as I would stick the web to the wrong surface and the object would possibly fly off in the wrong direction. It turned some puzzles into rather long slogs. For me, I enjoyed the game significantly more when I was zipping about on the web, a feature the game provides plenty of opportunities to enjoy. I did really appreciate how the game just kinda leaves you to figure out puzzles for yourself.
Most require webbing but there’s plenty of wiggle room for experimentation. If I spent more time with the game I can see myself finding more efficient solutions to problems. The other main move is the ability to shoot laser beams out your eyes. Okay, so the game does have one little spider superpower up its sleeve. While it sounds silly this move serves the important purpose of destroying your web parts and can be very helpful to move some objects quickly.
You Spin Me Right Round
Webbed is not a particularly hard game. There are hazards that may occasionally squish you but you instantly respawn just before it. You can also tackle the main quest in any order you fancy. A feature I really liked is any webbing progress you made in certain areas is saved for later. So say you went into an area to start solving a puzzle but you found you need to travel elsewhere first. All the progress you made and the webs you have spun will still be waiting for you when you return.
The game instantly saves when you quit so you can continue where you left off. As well as the main quest the game also features many nice surprises to discover, like collecting objects, bugs to eat and even some spider skateboarding. It’s a gem where the more you explore the more you really will find to love.
Cutesy Crawly
Webbed is a delightful adventure on Nintendo Switch. It’s an adventure that is bound to make you smile as much as entertain, Spider-Positivity if you will. Some may find areas of the gameplay frustrating in places but if you go in taking your time you will find a lot to love.
Webbed is easily the best spider-based video game on Nintendo Switch. It’s refreshing to see an indie developer take a chance on something different. Webbed is a game with an immense amount of heart that plays great on Nintendo Switch whether you want to enjoy it on the TV or out and about on the go.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
Awesome! I thought it was a really charming title when I watched the video. Not the best game for people who have arachnophobia, I guess, but the mechanics seem fun!