Screencheat: Unplugged Review for Nintendo Switch

Have a group of people over and aren’t sure what to play? Look no further with Screencheat: Unplugged! Samurai Punk brings out the competitor in everyone with 9 game modes and several amazing weapons to show who’s the best of the best of your friends with one simple rule: everyone’s invisible! Remember the days when you had to yell at your friend for watching your screen? Duke it out in a death match that encourages watching your opponent’s screen to find out where they are in this thrilling first person shooter!

Screencheat originally debuted in October 2014 for PC, Mac, and Linux developed by Australian company Samurai Punk and produced by Surprise Attack with concept from the 2014 Global Games Jam. After release, the game received many awards and honorable mentions. In March 2016, it was released for the platform systems PS4 and Xbox One. Screencheat Unplugged shows a fully remastered version in its November 2018 release for the Nintendo Switch.

Party Games have been the center of group gatherings for gamers since the 80’s and continues to be a source of entertainment today. Who doesn’t like a good party game? You know invite your friends over, have some snacks, and then yell at each other for about 2 hours in the name of fun. It’s super nostalgic for those of us who are a bit older and reminds us of sleepovers passed but with the current boom of death match style first person shooter games, like Overwatch and Fortnite, this game takes party game to a new level entirely.

Originally, I began playing this by myself and computers. Let me tell you, those computers were super hard to beat even on easy. So since there was not an online play option, I went to the next best plan: getting friends to hang out and playing a few rounds with them. My friends are all in their early 30’s (I’m the youngest at 29) and we all come from different gaming backgrounds so this kind of game sparked a lot of interest as most of us remember the days of GoldenEye 007.

There were few likes to this game when the group came to discuss it. We liked the overall level design in the Death Match Mode. Each tier had a specific color and landmarks that we could relate the locations of other players in order to hunt them down for points. The motion of each level in the Death Match mode is fluid and flows naturally from one level to the next and the vacuum elevators are easy to use. We also felt the experience for leveling up was justified and fair.

When it comes to the dislikes, there are a lot of them. We felt being completely invisible was counter productive to the point of the game. There are several types of stealth and invisible animations out there that could have been used for a better gaming experience. Having to focus solely on other people’s screens slowed down reaction time on your own. Peripheral vision was an ineffective tactic as you had to look completely at all surroundings on the opponent’s screen. The graphics could have been a bit better for a remaster especially when the character did show up after death. Each figure was a bit glitchy and needed more fine tuning. Perhaps the worst thing about this game for us was the motion controls. Motion controls are Nintendo’s big thing with their systems, but sometimes they do not help gameplay and overall experience. Many times, someone would be ready to strike when the motion controls moved the angle of the screen. There is a function that allows repositioning of the gyroscope, but it is not quick enough to reset while face-to-face with other players.

So who’s this game for?  I think kids would enjoy it while seasoned gamers would get bored or frustrated easily with the mechanics. If this game were released in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s it would have been a huge hit as GoldenEye 007 multiplayer mode sparked a controversy amongst the closest of buddies. Unfortunately, it just misses the mark on graphics and gameplay.

Features:

• 9 Gameplay Modes
• Several different weapons and ability to choose your weapon for each match
• Motion Control Gyroscope reset
• Party Game- great for group gatherings
• Funny death quotes

Score: 4/10

Check Out the Screencheat: Unplugged Nintendo Switch Trailer: