Severed

Genre: First-Person Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Severed is a First-Person Action-RPG that requires the touchscreen to play, meaning this is a game that cannot be played in docked mode. Originally released in 2016 for nearly every major touchscreen-enabled device (PlayStation Vita, Wii U, 3DS, iOS), this game was ported to the Nintendo Switch a year later. This game follows the journey of a young girl with a severed arm as she explores a nightmarish realm looking for her missing family.

Severed was developed by DrinkBox Studios, the makers of the fantastic Guacamelee series, but the tone here is very different – dark and lacking the humor of Guacamelee. Yet, despite the difference in tone, Severed does have some visual similarities to Guacamelee in its colorful presentation and stylized cartoony world and characters. Well, the human characters, at least – the grotesque monsters you fight are another story entirely, showing some real imagination in their design. This is all accompanied by a droning, almost tribal soundtrack, resulting in making the game seem almost like some sort of horrific fever dream. It’s a really distinct look that sets this game apart from nearly everything else out there, and it works very well for the game.

The gameplay here is also really unique, taking on the structure of a first-person dungeon crawler, but with combat done entirely through touchscreen swipes. Despite the simple interface, combat here is extremely varied and inventive, with each different type of enemy posing a unique challenge for players to manage, and combinations of enemies assaulting the player on all sides making the player shift their attention between them, multitasking and considering the best time to strike, as well as being aware of when it’s necessary to put up a defense. There was a lot of thought that went into this game’s touchscreen combat, and it is absolutely one of the highlights in the game.

The actual dungeon-crawling, though? Well, it’s okay, but the maps can feel a bit repetitive, and after how intuitive and inventive the combat is, it feels like a bit of a letdown that much of the exploration in this game comes down to simple switch puzzles, hunting down keys for locked doors, and so on. Also, while this game does have RPG elements, including a system that lets you craft monster parts into skill and character upgrades, I wish this were more extensive, built into a more substantial part of the game.

However, while I do have nitpicks about Severed, it’s hard to complain too much when the core combat at the center of the game is so good, so unique and original, and so fun. There’s simply not much else out there like Severed, and players who play the Switch primarily in handheld mode should definitely give this game a try.

tl;dr – Severed is a handheld-only First-Person Action-RPG about a girl with a severed arm fighting monsters in a nightmare realm to find her missing family. This game has a stylized, unique look and a wildly inventive combat system, and while the dungeon crawling elements here aren’t quite as inspired, the touchscreen combat is so well-crafted and fun that this should be a must-buy for players who play their Nintendo Switch primarily in handheld mode and don’t already have the game on another platform.

Grade: A-

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