Red’s Kingdom is a single-player adventure puzzle action game for all ages. This puzzle game was originally released on iOS devices only (not Android devices), but is now out on Nintendo Switch™ via Nintendo eShop, with an RRP of £8.99.
This is a great news for Nintendo Switch fans, as you can play it on the go. This game is cleverly designed, packed full of puzzles to solve and it is the type of game Mr K loves. The levels are challenging but nicely balanced in that they’re not too easy and not too tough. Some of them require a bit more thought though and planning for up to five moves ahead.
The story is about Red, a red squirrel who has his collection of nuts stolen by the bad guy, Mad King Mac. But not only that, the evil devil also kidnapped Red’s father too! In this game, the player plays as Red and you have to battle your way through the kingdom, collect back all your nuts, unlock special powers and save your father!
This game is quite a simple concept but it’s challenging enough to make you come back for more. It can get quite frustrating, especially for young children, as Red rolls around from place to place will get nowhere until you solve the puzzle!
The game is split into many small sections. Each area has its own unique puzzle to solve and you won’t come across the exact same puzzle layout.
If you are familiar with sliding puzzles, this game takes you sliding across the room in one single direction until you hit a stopping point to reach new areas. If you slide in the wrong direction and didn’t want to go back through again, you can simply reset it and restart the level.
In between the game, there are characters helping you along the game by giving you some hints but most of the time, you have to solve it yourself. You can also find a series of special items to progress, with each area presenting you with a similar sliding puzzle.
You’ll also come across enemies, who you have to defeat to create an open path to your next puzzle. You always have to plan carefully as you want to bump your enemies without causing damage to yourself. Note, your enemies can cause you to bounce backwards, potentially pushing you off the area!
There are lots of hidden treasures, nuts to collect, puzzles to solve and special powers to unlock which allow you to explore deeper into the vast game world. Mr K has played for hours and has only managed to cover 5% of this game. It is definitely a vast game world to explore and it will provide him hours of fun!
The game visuals are okay with lots of cute graphics and the soundtrack is fine too. I do think the game has room for improvement, for example, it would be great if the number of nuts collected and the number of levels you have covered was displayed while you are playing; and it would be nice if it indicated which is the entrance and which is the exit of each of the levels as you can accidentally travel backwards in the wrong direction.
The nature of this game from start to finish is all about solving puzzles. It can get boring if you get stuck in a puzzle or after playing for a while on it. We find this game is great more as a quick time killer and especially as the Nintendo Switch is so portable, you can play this game whenever you are alone or have the time to play! Overall it is a challenging game for all ages.
Disclosure: We received the sample code for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. Images used with permission.