Astro bears is an addictive Nintendo Switch exclusive party game. The game is similar to versions of the Tron arcade game from the 80s or Snake in the way that you control a character that trails a barrier behind it as it moves. The barrier left behind by you and your opponents is deadly if you run into it. The goal is to force your opponent to run out of room to maneuver, and your tools to do so are the abilities to jump and boost. The playing field is a sphere – as opposed to Tron and other such game’s playspace of a flat plane. The game was released on September 28th, 2017 and currently sits at a 57 on Metacritic (a popular video game review site), the user score however is much higher, resting at a 7.4.

My initial reaction was unsurprised; this game meets expectations and is moderately fun with friends. PvP is generally fun regardless of the game as long as it is balanced and the gameplay is satisfying. Astro bears is a fine example of both of these qualities. The models are simple yet elegant and their animations are without flaws. This helps create immersion and increases the satisfaction of playing the game. The jumping mechanics and use of classes with different stats such as movement speed, jump duration,and turning radius further amount to a better player experience due to these features allowing skill to take a bigger role over luck. The map, while simple, is something no other game has done. To use a sphere in this style of game is truly innovative, and although it does feel repetitive after a time, it is still something new and fresh. The game has more replayability than other similar games based on this feature alone.

My time with the game was rather short, only about 45 minutes or so of gameplay, but due to the game’s simplicity, this was an ample amount of time to learn how to play.  I opened the game, and like most Nintendo Switch games, experienced a short loading scene before being presented with the menu. The menu was simplistic and easy to use with obvious choices of multiplayer, singleplayer, and settings. I began with a game of singleplayer to learn the controls. They were intuitive and I quickly became at least moderately competent. After my brief but illuminating single player session, I began a multiplayer game with Isaiah Wells. He promptly eviscerated my delusions of competence at Astro Bears. After losing dreadfully, I attempted again and preformed much better.

The game is quite good if you like arcade-like games. It plays exactly as advertised and is overall a generally good experience. I personally recommend at least trying it to anyone who owns a Switch.