''Mighty Switch Force! 2'' is a

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...

platformer A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

developed and published by

WayForward Technologies WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and video game publisher, publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games ...

for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

. It is the fourth game in WayForward's ''Mighty'' series and the sequel to 2011's '' Mighty Switch Force!''. The game was released on the

Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...

on June 13, 2013 in North America and in the

PAL region Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25& ...

s on June 27. The game was later released for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

in October the same year. A puzzle game using similar elements and assets, ''Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down!'', was released for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

on February 12, 2015 and for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

on June 4.

Plot

The "Galactic Fire Brigade" has issued a code red: Plant Land is spontaneously combusting and everything is catching ablaze. Patrica Wagon must help as a "cybernetic firefighter", using the issued Infinity Dousing Apparatus, and rescue the Hooligan Sisters, who have been reformed since their capture, and are stuck in the infernos. At the same time, HQ has picked up cries of a distressed infant dubbed the "Ugly Secret Baby", or, "U.S.B". The "Rapid Sparkle Transmission System" usually used to extrapolate people was made for use on adults, so Patrica must find an alternative transport means (she achieves this by kicking the babies off screen, in-game).

Gameplay

Gameplay follows a similar premise to the previous game in which players assume the role of Patricia Wagon, who is now a

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

that must rescue the Hooligan Sisters of the last game from blazing fires. Like the previous game, players are tasked with using Patricia's ability to push blocks in and out of the foreground in order to rescue the Hooligan Sisters and reach the extraction point as quickly as possible. This time around, Patricia's blaster from the previous game has been replaced by a new dousing apparatus that shoots a spray of water, which can be used to defeat enemies and put out fires. This new mechanic adds various new types of blocks to the mix, such as mud blocks that must be dissolved with water, pipe blocks that redirect the spray of water and wooden blocks that must be burned in order to destroy. Along with par times that the player may attempt to beat, each level also contains a hidden "U.S.B" baby they may try to locate.

Reception

''Mighty Switch Force! 2'' received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. ''

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...

'' praised the gameplay of the 3DS version but lamented its short length, a fault shared by the game's predecessor.

''Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down!''

''Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down!'' is a

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...

developed by

, originally released for

on February 12, 2015, and later ported for

via

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

on June 4. It is the first

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

in the ''Mighty'' series and was made using the same elements, assets and music as ''Mighty Switch Force! 2''.

Gameplay

The gameplay is inspired by

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

puzzle games like ''

Pipe Mania ''Pipe Mania'' is a puzzle video game developed by The Assembly Line for the Amiga and published in 1989. It was ported to several other platforms by Lucasfilm Games as ''Pipe Dream''; the company distributed the game in the US. The player must c ...

''. The players have to order a set number of various directional pipe blocks, that are given at every stage around the playfield, in order to redirect the water fired by Patricia's dousing apparatus so it can put down fire blocks and dissolve mud blocks. There are also certain levels where a reformed Hooligan Sister is trapped somewhere around the level and the player is tasked to put down the flames and open a path using the pipe blocks so that she can escape. Each level also has par times that the player may attempt to beat.

Reception

The iOS version received "mixed" reviews according to

Gamezebo ''Gamezebo'' (sometimes stylized ''GameZebo'') is a website which reports on and reviews video games. Founded in 2005 by Joel Brodie, it was billed as the first website to solely cover casual games and expanded its scope to social games in 20 ...

praised the gameplay and feel of the iOS version. Criticism was aimed at the repetition of some levels in order to get the par times and the idea of having to pay an extra dollar in order to unlock more stages.

References

External links

Official site

Soundtrack
* * {{Mighty series 2013 video games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Wii U eShop games Puzzle video games Platformers Puzzle-platformers Indie games Video games scored by Jake Kaufman Video games developed in the United States Video games featuring female protagonists Video game sequels Video games about firefighting WayForward games Single-player video games