I’m always willing to give a game a second look, especially if the game is adding a much-needed gameplay update or some new mechanic that makes the game worth checking out again. Mable & The Wood fits that description, as the quirky Metroidvania title is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Although my original review of the PC version didn’t quite live up to my expectations, Mable & The Wood on the Switch is much more enjoyable, with the Joy-Con’s control scheme feeling far superior than that of a keyboard. In a nutshell, Mable & The Wood can and should be played on Nintendo’s portable console.
The Joy(Con)s Of The Forest
Players assume the role of Mable, who was brought about by a group of cultists to rid the land of massive beasts that are hellbent on destroying the world. Upon killing the biggest beasts, Mable is able to shapeshift into their beastly form, using her newly acquired powers to aid in her journey. Of course, players also have the option to remain non-confrontational and forgo killing any of the creatures, which lends itself well to replaying the game and experiencing its multiple endings.
What makes Mable & The Wood unique is the fact that Mable - a tiny, red-headed young girl - is barely able to lift her weapon, meaning she is unable to run or jump without using one of her shapeshift forms. Using a keyboard to move and manipulate Mable and her forms felt incredibly awkward on the PC. The Switch controls, on the other hand, felt fluid and natural. That’s saying something for a game that doesn’t allow traditional running and jumping.
Combat essentially relies on enemies being caught in a straight line between Mable and her sword, which Mable is able to call back to her from across the area. While I admittedly fumbled using a keyboard to take out enemies, I was easily able to manipulate Mable and her sword around using the Switch controls. Additionally, while playing in docked mode worked just fine, I actually preferred playing Mable & The Wood in handheld mode, which speaks to the ability to play the game on-the-go.
Switching My Opinion
Mable & The Wood’s pixelated visuals alongside its whimsical musical score works just as well on the Switch as it does on PC. I still came across a few bugs during my gameplay, but unlike on the PC, the glitches actually worked to my advantage, such as teleporting through and landing on a platform, instead of falling to my death. Fortunately, there weren’t really any other technical issues encountered.
In my original PC-version review for Mable & The Wood, I stated that I would definitely be willing to “venture back into the woods again, maybe even on the Switch” version. I am glad that I did. Mable & The Wood feels like it was made for the Nintendo Switch. It may not be the most groundbreaking game, but its quirky gameplay mixes well with its audio and visual aesthetics for a game that fans of the Metroidvania genre will enjoy on the portable device.
A Switch review copy of Mable & The Wood was provided to TheGamer for this review. Mable & The Wood is available now for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.
Mable & The Wood