REVIEW: Rico (Nintendo Switch) — Breach and… not so clear.
Raves
Rants
Have you ever played a shooter which had a segment where you breach a room and have to clear it out of bad guys while everything goes on bullet time? That is literally RICO in a nutshell. It’s an arcade-style shooter roguelike built around breaching and clearing in bullet time.
STORY & GAMEPLAY
The game doesn’t take itself too seriously outside being a cop who’s got 24 hours to crack a case.
You can define RICO up under its 3 core concepts:
First is its focus on breach & clear. Each level is comprised of a series of rooms for which you breach into, initiating a short period of bullet time to systematically gun down everything with a pulse within the room. The controls are fairly straight forward as shooter controls go. And your objectives are just as straightforward, too, varying from optional to time-sensitive conditions.
Second is that it’s a roguelike shooter. There are about 5 different modes to play but the primary campaign has you busting a network of criminals that ultimately leads to a closed case. The campaign runs for 24 realtime hours and dying at any point will restart the whole thing like a proper roguelike. And just like a proper roguelike, the levels are also procedurally randomized. The layout of each building and the list of objectives vary per run.
Lastly, it does co-op. Either online or local split-screen, the game is all for the whole buddy cop feels, allowing you to coordinate breaches albeit in a less tactical and more arcade manner.
VISUALS & PERFORMANCE
RICO has a somewhat cell-shaded (but not really) appearance that helps set the arcade feel. Character designs are so and so and the same can be said about the levels. But all these we can live with if not for the performance issues the Nintendo Switch occasionally suffers from. The game is locked at 30 fps but actually drops below that often times and at irregular intervals.
The resolution also leaves a lot to be desired, with edges looking to jaggy or certain details blurry from a distance.
VERDICT
RICO is a breach-and-clear, roguelike, buddy-cop shooter, and if none of those words interest you then you’re not missing out. But even if those words interest you, the repetitiveness of the procedural levels and the performance issues it suffers from in the Nintendo Switch version might throw you off either way. It’s a solid arcade shooter for the Switch, but if you’re looking for something more competitive, there are some better options for you out there now.
[This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher]