Vitamin Connection

Genre: 2-Stick Shooter / Arcade

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Vitamin Connection, released on the Nintendo Switch in 2020, is a game that takes 2-Stick Shooter-style gameplay and splits up the vitamin-shaped ship’s functions between two Joy-Cons, either requiring one player to coordinate multiple functions, or requiring two players to cooperate in their shared control of the ship. Some of these functions make some pretty clever use of the Joy-Cons’ unique features, and as a result of this, Vitamin Connection is a game that was clearly designed exclusively with the Nintendo Switch in mind.

The presentation here is simple, but effective, with flat-shaded 2D characters that look like simple 2D cartoon characters and a really colorful color palette that really pops. This is paired with a phenomenal soundtrack with a mic of J-pop-style tunes and hip-hop that reminded me a lot of games like Katamari Damacy, with some really catchy songs that make this a fun and upbeat experience.

Vitamin Connection can be played in single-player, but it’s not easy to multitask all of the ship’s functions at once. It seems pretty clear that this is a game that was designed with two players in mind, and to that end it works extremely well – this is a game I would say is among the top tier of co-op games on the Switch.

Partly this is due to the clever way the ship’s controls are split between the two Joy-Cons, which not only function in an asymmetrical way, but are even held differently. The left Joy-Con is held upright, with this player controlling the ship’s movement and the firing of its beam laser. Meanwhile, the right Joy-Con controls the ship’s orientation, and the direction of its laser. What’s more, the game’s levels find various ways to make players find new ways to use these functions, such as obstacles that match the ship’s orientation, and barriers that can only be broken with one side of the ship or the other.

On its own, this is quite good, but Vitamin Connection adds even more variety by taking detours into other types of gameplay, with these segments all controlling differently. One has both players coordinating to make the ship “dance” to the tune of a beat, while another has players moving the ship like those “don’t touch the electrified wire” challenge puzzles. The game even makes use of the right Joy-Con’s infrared sensor in a few clever places.

As for negatives, mostly it’s just the sort of stuff that’s the result of this game’s design – it really is ideal for two players, and not really the best game to play solo. Also, the way this game uses Joy-Cons means that you probably won’t want to play this game in portable mode, and Nintendo Switch lite players may not be able to enjoy it at all (unless they co out of their way to get extra Joy-Cons and share the tiny screen with a friend).

However, if you have a regular Nintendo Switch and a friend to play with, Vitamin Connection is a blast of a co-op experience, and one that makes some really clever use of the Nintendo Switch’s unique features. If you’re looking for a fantastic game to play with a friend, Vitamin Connection should be high on your list.

tl;dr – Vitamin Connection is a Two-Stick Shooter that splits up the ship’s functions between two Joy-Cons in a way that makes this game ideal for two-player co-op. It’s got an appealing presentation, a great soundtrack, and makes some really clever use of the Joy-Cons’ functionality, and really the only negative things I can say about it are that it’s not a game you can play in portable mode, and it’s not a game you’ll really want to play solo. But if you have a friend to join you, this game is a must-have.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Best Multiplayer, Best Music

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