Weapon of Choice DX (Switch)

Weapon of Choice DX is the latest port by Mommy’s Best Games, well received back in its initial release but will it be Switch gamers, game of choice?.

Weapon of Choice DX has the narrative of every great action NES game, aliens have turned up and you’re the crack team who needs to send them back home with a bullet between the eyes, while there is dialogue and several different endings this isn’t some Citizen Kane narrative experience, find alien, kill alien, save the world, back home for beers, HOORAH.

Visually Weapon of Choice DX is 90s extreme Nickelodeon dialed up to about 9, for us more aged of gamers this is perfectly summed up as a “Shiny original” title, think MDK or Earthworm Jim levels of ridiculous.

Vibrant colours, grotesque enemy designs, large explosions and plenty of the red/green stuff are on display here, the character models have that stiff scrapbook look to them which perfectly suits the tone of the game and fortunately they are animated brilliantly, one of my favourite aspects is the Spiderlegs that protrude from their backs allowing them to climb walls and ceilings, it looks outstanding in motion and heavily leans into the comic action theme. 

No voice acting here for the few scenes a level where you’ll get some “plot” or a tutorial section, instead you need to rely on your ol’ peepers to find out what’s going on, music on the other hand is action focused but nothing that really stuck with me, suitable for the game but not one you’ll be reaching for a vinyl of any time soon.

The gameplay of Weapon of Choice DX sees you initially choosing from a handful of soldiers and flying a missile into enemy territory before shooting them all to heck and going home for a beer. 

The game is a run and gun, twin stick shooter so think games like Contra or Huntdown but with dual stick controls much like the plethora of top down shooters that have released since Smash TV, it is a great way of playing the run and gun genre which often relies on particular directions or stoping to get full 360 motion.

Of course it’s a run and gun so you have the ability to jump and as previously mentioned you have Spider Legs so you can climb your environment, the controls are buttery smooth and make the game a total joy to play. 

Each operative/agent/soldier has different weapons but they also act as your lives, you can find missing ones out in the field so a major pull of the game is to try and survive without losing any and saving all, coupled with the multiple routes you can take and the multiple endings this means you’ll be getting a lot of bang for your buck here with Weapons of Choice DX.

You only have 1 hit point for each character but there is a system here where if you’re in danger time slows down and gives you time to react, threat not there are still ample things that can kill you and some situations going in slo-mo just drive that death nail further, upon death you pick another operative and ride a revenge missile into the scene, you can save fallen operative but this will then lock you out of saving any others you come across in the stage. 

The stages themselves range from fantastic little platforming stages to all out set piece strewn boss fights in the best way, being you can choose a path there is a lot of potential to be surprised each time you grab your Switch. 

The game is an enhanced port of a release from the XBox 360 era, there has been a difficulty rebalance, an achievement list and extra collectables thrown around the stages to challenge eager gamers. 

Weapon of Choice DX is honestly a fantastic and fun experience, I love run and gun titles and the developers here have created a brilliant and outlandish experience here that for fans of the genre should be embraced, especially with its more than reasonable price compared to content, Weapon of Choice, more like Game of Choice am I right?