Last month publisher TT (Tokyo Tushin Group) released Rescue! DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL!! onto the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo Switch, a bizarre-looking puzzle game featuring characters from the DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL anime and manga series. Naturally, we got curious and so thanks to TT (for providing us with a code) we managed to see what this game has to offer.
Available on the Nintendo eShop for just £7.99, with a 21% launch discount that lasts until 21st February 2024, Rescue! DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL!! is advertised as an official casual game for your Nintendo Switch featuring characters from the popular anime. In reality however it seems to be a port of an Android & iOS puzzle game with the objective of protecting Jashin from various threats that come her way across numerous stages.
Interestingly depending on how you play on your Nintendo Switch console (docked mode connected to a TV or in handheld mode) will depend on how this Rescue! DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL!! game will play and how it will look:
Docked mode: The game will load in landscape mode giving you a small screen area (or game area) of the current level. On either side of the game area are low resolution character models of Jashin and Yurine. You can only play using the Joy-Cons or a Controller.
Handheld Mode: The game will load-up in portrait mode and you’ll need to hold your Nintendo Switch console like a tablet. Interestingly the game area is now full screen, and the low resolution character models of Jashin and Yurine are now longer displayed, but more importantly you can now use either the touch-screen or controllers to interact with the game.
However you decide to play the game (docked or handheld) both are riddled with pros and cons. In docked mode it is easier to play using a controller, but the screen (game area) is condensed. In handheld mode however, the screen (game area) fills the entire Nintendo Switch screen, but touch-screen functionality is laggy and is not as responsive as a tablet or smartphone. Playing with controllers in handheld mode is also difficult unless you have a way to stand-up or tilt your console, as you need to use both Joy-Cons (left analog stick and ZR button) to control movement. Either-way it is surprising to see touch-screen function (and portrait view) enabled in handheld, but frustratingly you can not alter or change the view perspective – so if you are playing on an Lite console the only way to play is via Portrait mode.
Play-styles aside the objective of the game is the same, simply protect Jashin from oncoming dangers. This is done by drawing lines (either via touch-screen or by holding down the ZR button and moving the left analog stick) around or near her to protect her. If done successfully you’ll pass the stage and move on to the next. During the early levels you’ll be given hints on how to succeed with dotted lines, but as you progress you won’t be given any clues or hints. If you fail a Stage continuously then you’ll be given the option to skip the current stage and those dotted lines that appeared in earlier stages may appear again.
Each new stages presents a different type of puzzle to solve, and as you progress further they will become more bizarre. When you beat a stage you’ll be awarded 50 coins, and these coins can be swapped for additional costumes for Jashin to wear. Sadly these costumes require 500 coins, so you’ll need to beat at least 10 stages before being able to unlock a new costume, and even more annoying is that the costumes will be awarded at random. If that doesn’t put you off then the costumes themselves are pretty much just slightly alternate variations of the existing outfit with different colour hairbands or gloves being attached. In total 24 costumes are available, so that will require 12,000 coins if you want to get them all.
There’s not really much to explore in Rescue! DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL!!, and honestly it feels like a game that should’ve stayed on smartphone or tablet devices. Regardless, if you’ve been hoping for a game using characters from DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL and want to waste a few minutes (or hours) playing a simple puzzle game, that swipe away – but be warned the asking price isn’t exactly cheap. Rescue! DROPKICK ON MY DEVIL!! is now available digitally on the Nintendo Switch (via the Nintendo eShop) worldwide.
