Venture Kid is a new 8-bit indie platformer for the Switch. Considering that it’s already outsold the game’s entire Steam lifespan, it seems like there’s some pretty hefty demand for our hero Andy as he fights his way through Doctor Teklov’s minions to rescue his girlfriend! But why so much demand? What’s so special about Venture Kid?
Venture Kid is a mobile game that slowly made its way to other platforms. Made by FBG Entertainment and starting out at $5, Venture Kid evolved and released onto Steam with added controller support about a year ago. It’s now making its way to consoles exclusively on the Switch and it has some pretty big expectations to meet.
Mega Man style games are a dime a dozen. So many developers have tried to capture the essence of the Blue Bomber that it’s almost scary. Even Mega Man’s original creator, Kaiji Inafune, has been unable to recapture the magic of those original Mega Man games in a new IP. Just play the absolutely cringeworthy Mighty Number 9 if you don’t believe me. Venture Kid noticeably seeks to capture that essence of pure fun that we all experienced with Mega Man.
In Venture Kid, you play a kid named Andy whose girlfriend is kidnapped by the evil Doctor Teklov. Naturally, you set out after her and attempt to save the day. With the help of a truly spectacularly creative engineer, you blast your way through nine wildly varied stages of side scrolling 8-bit platforming glory. The game plays pretty much as you’d expect. Run, jump, blast things, backtrack a bit, switch weapons (once you get them). It’s pretty much the Mega Man recipe, at least on the surface.
Dig a little deeper however, and you’ll find a surprising number of weak points. Venture Kid is noticeably linear in the main storyline of Classic mode. Play through a level, get a new weapon, rinse, repeat. Weapons are unique and have a very childlike feel. I found myself reminded quite heavily of the original Startropics for some reason while I played; definitely not something you’d expect of a Mega Man styled game. Sure, you can choose Adventure mode and pick levels in any order, but it honestly doesn’t make the game any better. Boss Rush mode is always a neat idea…if the bosses are innovative. Unfortunately, they’re nothing special in Venture Kid. Survival Mode is kind of fun; just last as long as you can without getting hit, but it’s more of a novelty than anything. The meat of the game is just not that fulfilling.
And then there’s the gameplay. On Normal, Venture Kid is easy. Ridiculously easy. Sure you can die here and there if you’re not paying attention and a squirrel runs by your TV or something, but overall, the game simply isn’t very challenging. Levels don’t have enough enemies, enemies aren’t aggressive enough, level design is lackluster and unchallenging. Basically Venture Kid is an amateur attempt at making a Mega Man styled game that didn’t turn out great and people played it anyway on their phones. The controls are tight at least, and work well on both docked and undocked mode on the Switch. But that’s about it. There’s really nothing notable here.
That’s the rub with Venture Kid. Nothing really stands out about it. It’s mediocre in every aspect, other than tight controls and crisp 8-bit visuals. You aren’t really getting a lot for your money, especially compared to some of the other great titles out on the Switch’s eshop. If you’re desperate for platformers, I guess it’s okay, but the recent release of Ghoulboy far surpassed Venture Kid in my estimation in terms of gameplay, creativity, and overall polish for the same price.
If you simply have to buy every 8-bit game out there, don’t pass up Venture Kid. If you’re looking for a spiritual sequel to Mega Man or anything with some depth and challenge though, keep looking. You’re not going to find it with Venture Kid.
This review was based on a digital copy of Venture Kid provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked mode. All screenshots are of actual gameplay.