Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo (Switch)

Powah Dunk | December 2, 2022 | Review | No Comments

Mecha Ritz: Steel Ritz is the latest release on Nintendo Switch by the developer of the brilliant Dezatopia, will it match that titles quirky and addictive gameplay? Dance with me and find out.

Mecha Ritz originally released on PCs way back in 2016 but developer Hey has been back and decided to totally rework the game, add a load of additional content and bring the game to everyone’s favourite Shmup console the Nintendo Switch, the update is also being applied to the Steam version of the game.

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo starts with a scientist called Veloce, she ends all of human life with her creation “Mechas”, unfortunately for her one Mecha inherits “Human Will” and sets out to stop her.

It’s a Shmup story, it’s mostly window dressing and can be completely ignored, though I will say that in-between the stages there is quite a bit of lore and it is actually quite interesting so it’s more of a nice bonus rather than an essential aspect.

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo has a very unique and fun art direction, it’s very reminiscent of something you’d expect on the Dreamcast or XBox Live Arcade with all its ships made of colourful wireframe.

The game isn’t afraid to bombard you with colour and despite its rather dark premise it has an almost cheery visual style to it, the explosions look brilliant and shots are clearly defined and don’t blend into the minimalistic backgrounds which can sometimes be an issue with the genre.

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo is a vertical Shmup in which you can pick through a variety of Mecha, most of which you can unlock through playthroughs of the roughly 30 minute run, each Mecha has different shot types and speed. Shots are determined by either pressing down or tapping the button and no there isn’t a way to adjust the buttons to have two shots, you’re doing it old school over here.

The game has a traditional control system and has the genre standard bomb which you can clear a path with should you choose to use them, there is also a Shield system at play which tips the game in your favour somewhat as it’s not 1 hit and you die, unless of course you lose your shield and then it’s hit the bricks kid.

Where Mecha Ritz really separates itself from the competition is in its “Rank” system, the better you play I.E no damage, quick take down of bosses and high score, the tougher the game gets. Alternatively should the game start getting too tough you lose rank and the game becomes easier making it one of the most accessible Shmups out there.

When you achieve certain conditions you’ll unlock the True Boss which when beaten opens the game up even more with alternative stages, this means that there is even more reason for you to grab a Mecha and aim for those high scores.

The scoring system is not only tied to the rank system but also how close you destroy items and enemies from aswell as the many boss weak points you can take down and how quick you take them down. There is a bit more to the scoring system but it does take a while to all sink in and the game does a better job of detailing it within the manual you can access in game than I could in describing it.

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo is another win for Hey, while slightly more uniform than Dezatopia it is just as addictive and just as fun, sadly the lack of online leaderboards means you’re back to the screenshot factory for score chasing but all in all Mecha Ritz is yet another fantastic Shmup you can pick up for your Nintendo Switch.