Bake 'n Switch - Switch Review
The aptly named Bake ‘n Switch transforms players into a world of Apprentice Bakers, magical living Buns and an ever-growing threat of mould. In this co-op cooking party game crossed brawler, combine Bun creatures to make bigger Buns in order to throw them into ovens, battle the Guardians and bring peace back to the world, all while continuing your own personal journey to become a Master Baker.
Gameplay
Bake ‘n Switch comes with the strategical elements one would expect but spices things up with brawler elements in order to take out mould enemies. With each character having their own areas of strengths and weaknesses, there’s a lot to be said in the importance of strategic planning and delegating tasks to those more suited. Each character also has a unique special ability that can be activated when your meter fills up. This can range from being able to throw fireballs in order to cook the Buns instantly or automatically combine Buns together to create bigger ones.
The primary objective is to throw Buns into each other to create big Buns and then throw them into the oven for points. The oven takes a little while to bake them, so you need to ensure that you’re using your time wisely. You can let the Buns work for you as big Buns will automatically engulf smaller ones if planned correctly. However it is important to note that each Bun acts differently, with the Lil’ Buns being passive creatures, the Flux Fox that are quick movers and the Doughdoughs that will actively run away from you.
Whilst I wanted to dive as much as I could into Bake ‘n Switch, the game unfortunately does not have a solo mode that isn’t online. I was puzzled by this at first but the more I thought about the nature of the game and each character’s unique abilities, it began to make more sense. However I also noted that playing online makes coordination tricky, especially without the ease of seamless voice chat on Switch.
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The game’s user interface (UI) was much more cumbersome than initially expected. The main gripe would have to be that in order for a player to change characters, they almost need to jump right back to the starting screen. In addition, the text that outlines each character’s unique traits is surprisingly small, working well on a PC monitor but not so much when players are sitting around a TV (which is what the game is primarily made for).
World / Level Design
The levels are structured fantastically with plenty of hazards and structures to manoeuvre around. They are expertly crafted in a way that brings strategic thought and planning to each, with multiple attempts required to achieve three stars.
Upon completing levels, you can replay their stormy, more difficult, counterparts. These renditions kick the difficulty up a few notches, providing more enemies, a darker atmosphere and a deeper challenge for those looking for it.
Bake n’ Switch has two overworld maps that allow you to proceed from one level to the next. These worlds are the Tropical and Desert islands, with each one providing new challenge variety and enemy variants.
Story / Personality
While there’s not too much of a plot to speak of aside from taking out the threatening mould and returning peace, the game’s personality hits the mark spectacularly. It is both adorable and charming, not taking itself too seriously with a whole lot of baking related puns that’ll make you chuckle; my favourite would had to have been the bat enemy Batlava – classic!
Graphics / Art Direction
The graphics are surprisingly crisp and the theme variety between the Tropical and Desert worlds allows the aesthetic to avoid repetition. The characters are quirky and the Buns are adorable, allowing Bake ‘n Switch to simply overflow with charm.
Music / Sound Design
The charm of Bake ‘n Switch‘s lovable characters and adorable Buns is complimented spectacularly by its jolly and upbeat soundtrack. Albeit a little repetitive at times, the boppy tunes and quirky sound effects reinforces the game’s lighthearted presentation, one that will make you smile from ear-to-ear.
Final Score: 82%
Bake ‘n Switch is wonderfully charming and ticks most of the right boxes. I’ve said this in past reviews but it’s difficult to come out with something unique in the party co-op cooking genre after Overcooked! and Moving Out, but Bake ‘n Switch does so with humorous elegance that guarantees to put a smile on players’ faces.
Thank you for checking out our Bake ‘n Switch switch review, thank you to Plan of Attack for providing the review code and thank you to our $5 and up Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
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