Freddy Farmer (Switch) | REVIEW | What You Need to Know Before You Buy

Sticking with the Donkey Kong inspired gameplay formula, but expanding upon the mechanics Catcade Games, under the publisher Flynn's Arcade, brings to us a fantasy farming tale of rescue. It seems Freddy the Farmer's daughter was taken by a large dragon. To find her Freddy sought the help of the local wizard. Given the instructions to go collect ingredients in a certain order according to a scroll before mixing it in a cauldron Freddy sets out to do just that one stage at a time. Standing between him and that goal though are creature inhabitants whose touch means instant death.

Having three difficulty settings, one main mode of play, some visual settings, a gallery, and five unlockable minigames, Freddy Farmer comes at the player with a score based challenge custom tailored to the players' liking. A modernized take on the old ladders, and platforms setup made standard by Donkey Kong back in the day. That and the ability to only jump over patrolling enemies as you go about collecting ingredients in order before plopping them into the cauldron for the mixing returns in good measure.

Stages throughout the main mode of play vary by design, and enemy type while adhering to the ladders and platform setup. As you climb ladders, collect ingredients in order, and jump over the resident creatures you'll net some points that go towards your overall high score. The avoidance of enemy contact, and the collecting of ingredients being your main source of point income. In total there are five differently themed worlds you'll encounter on your adventure with seven stages in each of them. This includes everything from a magical mushroom filled forest to a Snow Bros. inspired wintry world, and even a Halloween themed locale. At the end of it all, and for all efforts rendered, lies the climactic boss battle between Freddy and the stage filling Dragon.

In the way of extras you'll find a gallery filled with game art as well as some Gameboy inspired mini-games featuring the farming protagonist Freddy, himself. As far as settings go you can change the screen size, and even add on a CRT filter for added visual effect.

The Verdict ...

Flynn's Arcade and Catcade Games release yet another modern classic worth your time and money! Even though it closely follows in the footsteps of previous releases it manages to innovate the mechanics enough to be it's own unique experience. An experience that is heightened by beautiful 16-32bit pixel graphics that forgoes the more traditional 8bit approach. If you are looking for a new Donkey Kong-like game to get a high score on, or simply a game with a lot of heart "Freddy Farmer" is definitely the game for you!