It’s been a year since WayForward’s Mighty Switch Force! made its debut on the Wii U eShop as Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, an HD rendition of the original game with some stellar remixes of the original soundtrack by Jake “Virt” Kaufman.
In response to feedback from fans (and perusal of various MiiVerse communities), WayForward decided to bring Mighty Switch Force! 2 to the Wii U as well—but without the same audio-visual nip-tuck its predecessor was treated to.
Beauty isn’t skin deep, though, and a lack of Hyper Drive doesn’t make Mighty Switch Force! 2 a lesser experience on the Wii U in my experience with the game. WayForward’s brilliant sprite work maintains its signature smoothness even when displayed on a 42-inch plasma screen.
I was no more aware of the games 16 bit nature while playing on a large TV than I was playing on the 5.3 inch screen of my 3DS. The backgrounds don’t quite match up in quality to, say, Hyper Drive Edition, but because the entire world is consistently bit-centric, it never feels blurry or sloppy. Everything fits; everything feels right.
What little visual noise the sprite work might make is muted when playing on the Wii U gamepad. WayForward seemed to adjust its aspect ratio so that it looks the same regardless of the size of the screen its being played on. The space between layers, however, feel closed without the stereoscopic effect at hand—but if you’re used to playing games on the 3DS with the stereoscopic effect turned off, then this presentational difference is negligible. Sure, you may see some pixilated edges, but sometimes you’ll just want to stop and admire how beautiful the sprite work is.
If you’ve played Mighty Switch Force! 2 for the 3DS, then you know what to expect from the Wii U port. With the exception of some touched-up interstitial screens and MiiVerse compatibility, as well as the ability to play on the big screen or gamepad, the game has remained relatively unchanged.
