Deadbolt is one of my favorite indie games from the past decade. If it's not in my top ten, it's in my top twenty, easily. More a stealth game with experimental gimmicks that bring its gunplay to life in a way that's seldom been seen since the sixth console generation than a Hot-like (my affectionate term for any game appropriating aspects from the seminal Hotline Miami and its influences), I'm saddened to say that it's flown under a lot of radars. Unless you're talking in a circle that plays a lot of niche indie games, you probably won't ever hear it come up.
And its Nintendo Switch port is probably part of that.
Let me be clear: this is a PC-ass PC game. It's not overly complex and doesn't do the MMO thing of turning your entire screen into an incomprehensible clusterfuck of numbers and menus, nor is it that graphically demanding. It requires a level of precision that's just... not there on a controller. The gimmick I spoke of is something that only works on a mouse. Like in most shooters, the further your target is from your gun, the more likely it is that your bullets will miss them. Due to Deadbolt being a 2D sidescroller, there's more to it. The closer your crosshair is to your character, the more accurate they are. There's a strong and satisfying focus on headshots, and a big part of the game is trying to figure out how to align your crosshair from distances to achieve them. Translating this to a controller, you only really have two options: you try to do what Intravenous did, and have the crosshair feel awkwardly independent of the character. Or, you can just implement a clunky lock-on system that makes the precision required either less satisfying or too frustrating. Guess which option they stuck with. Here's a hint: this game only ends up using one analog stick.
It's a shame because most of what I love about this game is still there. There's still this feeling of each level being a contained, small-scale sandbox to keep revisiting. It's still satisfying to find ways to finish levels with only a gun, or a hammer, or headshots. The hidden delight of Deadbolt is this feeling I get every time I play it, where I want to go out of my way to choreograph each attack and move in an almost balletic fashion. It's too stiff to be near even the worst of Platinum Games' repertoire, and you will catch me in a ditch before I start calling every game ever made Dark Souls because they aren't mindless corridor shooters where brute force is the only option. But once you get to the point where you can clear initially tough stages in under a minute, none of that matters, and, lock-on or not, that's something that carries over.
Am I saying you shouldn't play the Switch version? I mean, if you have to, or you want a copy of this on the go. Otherwise, the PC version will do you just fine.
And its Nintendo Switch port is probably part of that.
Let me be clear: this is a PC-ass PC game. It's not overly complex and doesn't do the MMO thing of turning your entire screen into an incomprehensible clusterfuck of numbers and menus, nor is it that graphically demanding. It requires a level of precision that's just... not there on a controller. The gimmick I spoke of is something that only works on a mouse. Like in most shooters, the further your target is from your gun, the more likely it is that your bullets will miss them. Due to Deadbolt being a 2D sidescroller, there's more to it. The closer your crosshair is to your character, the more accurate they are. There's a strong and satisfying focus on headshots, and a big part of the game is trying to figure out how to align your crosshair from distances to achieve them. Translating this to a controller, you only really have two options: you try to do what Intravenous did, and have the crosshair feel awkwardly independent of the character. Or, you can just implement a clunky lock-on system that makes the precision required either less satisfying or too frustrating. Guess which option they stuck with. Here's a hint: this game only ends up using one analog stick.
It's a shame because most of what I love about this game is still there. There's still this feeling of each level being a contained, small-scale sandbox to keep revisiting. It's still satisfying to find ways to finish levels with only a gun, or a hammer, or headshots. The hidden delight of Deadbolt is this feeling I get every time I play it, where I want to go out of my way to choreograph each attack and move in an almost balletic fashion. It's too stiff to be near even the worst of Platinum Games' repertoire, and you will catch me in a ditch before I start calling every game ever made Dark Souls because they aren't mindless corridor shooters where brute force is the only option. But once you get to the point where you can clear initially tough stages in under a minute, none of that matters, and, lock-on or not, that's something that carries over.
Am I saying you shouldn't play the Switch version? I mean, if you have to, or you want a copy of this on the go. Otherwise, the PC version will do you just fine.