The Nintendo Switch has come to revitalize the multiplayer genre, and it’s all because how clever Nintendo implemented the Joy Con controllers. It’s one of the reasons even after more than a year after being released, the Nintendo Switch continues to gain momentum as the hottest console in the market. As expected, many developers want to capitalize on the Switch’s popularity, and that is great. However, we tend to see an avalanche of sorts of multiplayer-oriented games. Some are good, some not so much. Super Treasure Arena is another contender for the multiplayer realm, but will it stand proud with other games or will it fall flat? Let’s find out!
Super Treasure Arena is a retro-inspired twin stick arena shooter in which as expected there is no cooperation between players. Only the most cunning and deadly warrior will rise above the rest and win the match. You have five different classes to choose from, each with specific skills and traits. The Warrior, for example, is a close quarters fighter. His primary weapon is a sword, and his special skill is a series of shields spinning around him protecting from harm for a couple of seconds. The Mystic uses a staff for primary attacks, and her special is a freezing spell that freezes all enemies and encases them in ice, and so forth. Besides these individual traits, they play the same.
Depending on the Mode selected, the goal is simple. In Classic Free for all, the goal is to get the most coins when the timer hits zero to win In order to get coins, you need to defeat the waves of random enemies appearing, destroy the treasure chest that randomly appear through the stage selector, or defeat other players, so anything goes.
In order to beat the competition, besides your starter weapon you can find several secondary weapons in the stage. The range from bows and arrows, to a bomb launcher and a magic fire staff. However, these are not infinite. Each has a set amount of uses, but if you pick another one of the same the amount of uses left, it gets added to the new item. You can carry a max of five different sub weapons, and you can swap them on the go to give you an edge depending on the situation.
In Treasure Run, the rules change a little. Instead of getting coins, you need to look for the treasure chest that spawns. Instead of breaking it to get coins, you must carry it to your starting base. However, since it’s heavy, your movement speed is halved, making you an easy target for other players and enemies. It becomes a heart-pumping race to see who can get the most treasures in the alloted time. While the game has only 6 different areas to play in, each has their own theme and are laid of differently from each other. You need to strategise in each one to come on top, so basically the frantic action never stops specially on the last seconds on the clock.
One of the things that strikes me the most in Super Treasure Arena is the pixel art. It is absolutely gorgeous. Each area and enemy is well detailed. Honestly, just in the amount of detail and things happening on screen Super Treasure Arena gets an A+ in my book.
The music and sound effects give that funny and crazy vibe, and they do not overstay their welcome. The only thing I didn’t like is that it’s a multiplayer-centered game. If you play solo, you are going to get bored quickly since the bots can only take you so far. Also, the amount of content is lacking since six areas and two game modes can lose their appeal quickly. I wish the game had online game play. That would breathe more life into it.
Bottom Line: Super Treasure Arena is an arcade multiplayer style game that delivers fun game play, albeit with limited content. I can honestly say that playing with other players is so much fun, so if you have friends over all the time, this is a cheap alternative for good multiplayer ( nd friendship destroying) action. I had fun with it, but I wish it had online multiplayer.
A Review copy was provided for this review.