Spindle - Switch Review

Spindle is an action-RPG title from indie developers Wobble Ghost, a three-person team based in Germany. Here at Switchaboo we love a proper indie game and this is about as indie as it gets! However, you wouldn’t know it’s indie from the key art; Spindle looks really cool, and a little bit spooky to boot.

With clear inspiration from 2D The Legend of Zelda games, I’m excited to see how it harks back to the good old days but also (hopefully) brings something new to the table. The Zelda-likes I’ve played over recent years have really ranged in quality, so I’m interested to see where Spindle fits into that spectrum!

The Good

So yes, Spindle is a little bit dark in its story matter and characters. You play as the Grim Reaper no less, albeit a very cute, cartoony representation of them. The cute stakes are further taken up a notch because you’re assisted by a cute little pig who acts as your Navi, but with a bit more heft and muscle. In the story you and the pig are trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious curse on the land, which means no one can die, and their bodies are being taken over by evil spirits instead. Much of the gameplay and enemies are centred around this; Joe Bloggs has been taken over in x village, and you must go there to free them of the nasty spirit. Each area you visit starts off dark and melancholic due to the curse but is freed when you defeat the local dungeon and boss. It’s all very standard gameplay for this genre but Spindle gets the tone pretty much bang on.

Spindle has plenty of side quests and collectibles for you to find too, which is great to see as a Zelda fan. The Gold Skulltullas' equivalent in Spindle (i.e. the main collectible you find scattered around the game world) are skull coins, which you can collect and then trade four of them in at certain statues for an additional life heart. There are skull coins in dungeons, in the overworld and in mini-games and side quests, and I found tracking them down really fun. Without an element such as that Spindle would frankly have felt quite shallow and brief, but the enjoyment in hunting them down felt addictive and is what kept bringing me back to play more and more.

Despite its cartoony image, Spindle’s story is incredibly mature and one which will make us all think about our time on Earth and mortality. If that sounds too depressing for you, then that’s more than understandable, but I think Wobble Ghost deserves plaudits for not falling into the trap of providing a story that lacked depth and meaning. Spindle’s story sets it apart from the pack.

TL;DR

• Spindle dishes up classic Zelda fare
• Enough to explore to keep you entertained
• A thought-provoking story

The Bad

I did begin this review by musing over how original (or not) Spindle would be, and to be honest there is very little on show which I haven’t seen before. Yes, the story is quite unusual, but the actual gameplay itself is all very cookie-cutter. To me personally that isn’t really a problem because I think people generally play these kinds of games to get more Zelda in their life (even if it isn’t ACTUALLY Zelda), and Spindle definitely does that. It’s more of a warning; if you’re expecting an original take on the genre, then this isn’t it.

I often found it confusing as to what to do next in Spindle; fortunately the map isn’t that big so you generally always work it out, but there were certainly elements of having no idea where to go next. I think this would definitely have been helped by an objective/mission menu and/or having place names annotated on the map. Without those, the navigation felt a bit trial and error.  

TL;DR

• Nothing particularly original on offer
• Trial and error world navigation

Final Score: 8/10

Spindle is a fun action RPG, which will keep you entertained for a weekend or a few days. The story is refreshing and meaningful, which ultimately elevates it above being labelled as ‘just another Zelda-like’.

Thank you for checking out our Spindle Switch review, thank you to Deck13 (via PR Hound) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

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