HyperParasite (Switch)

So another reviewer already covered HyperParasite back on Playstation 4 but we have been given the opportunity to re-review the game on Nintendo Switch. Does it still hold up? Read on to find out.

HyperParasite puts you in control of “The Parasite”, an alien symbiote sort of thing who wants to consume an alternative 1980s world. The introduction is done in a fantastic 16-bit sprite-based fashion and the voice acting from it was highly unexpected. Throughout your planetary consumption, you’ll meet Witto who is a fan of your species and is more than happy to trade with you and assist you on world domination, for a price that is. 

Visually HyperParasite goes for the 1980s synthwave aesthetic and does a fantastic job of it. There are plenty of Neon lights, alleys that look like somewhere The Terminator would land and the cast is made up of about every cliche you could think of, we even have the propaganda newspaper!. 

Graphically the Switch version of HyperParasite really falls below the standard. The visuals have that coating of vaseline that plagues weaker ports and it really impacts the characters and looks of the game. You can make stuff out but the blurry visuals really do take you out of the experience and have you squinting at times.

So what type of game is HyperParasite? Well, it’s a twin-stick roguelike! Everyone’s favourite buzzword but I must point out this released before Hades and in-fact before another game you could draw comparisons to in Carrion.

You’ll start your run either as the Parasite or as one of the human hosts you have unlocked. Ideally, you want to finish the area you are in while collecting money for unlocks and brains to unlock human hosts which give you more abilities and more chance for success. 

Each human host has a different set of attacks and a special attack, while you aren’t completely defenseless in Parasite form when you die it’s game over. Now in a Human Host they act as a life-giving you more of a chance, they hit harder and the abilities are more than capable of killing some citizens. 

Like most roguelikes, you lose everything bar 1 thing when you die, in this, it is your human hosts. You can also store hosts if you have upgraded them to your liking and want them on another run.

Now HyperParasite is very quick to make you its bitch, I’ve played my fair share of Roguelike/lite this year and it still humbled me quicker than John Romero in a Doom Deathmatch!. This isn’t to say it is completely unfair but you are gonna have to learn the ropes quickly and get used to dodging and jumping from host to host if you long to see further into the game. 

I love HyperParasite, I love the setting, the smooth controls, the mix of characters, the challenge, and the setting, I don’t love the performance on Nintendo Switch and this is something that has been plaguing the console a lot lately. While not as unplayable as some, the lack of visual polish and occasional slowdown judders make it feel like you’re paying a different kind of Switch tax!. 

If you like your Rogue to go or only have access to the Switch then by all means jump in, if you’re spoilt for choice pick this up on another format, it nearly passed me by but it has easily shot up my list of favourite games I played in 2020!.