Troll and I for Nintendo Switch is a difficult game to review, especially after the abysmal launch it had. The game was (and still is) riddled with countless game breaking bugs that would cause Nintendo’s new system to crash. The first bug this reviewer encountered was right after installing the game. Troll and I launched right away, but it froze at the title screen. Several minutes were spent pressing the Switch’s face and trigger buttons, in hopes that they would somehow remedy the issue being experienced. Nothing happened. After several minutes of experimentation (and restarting the Nintendo Switch from a cold boot), Troll and I finally booted.
Before the update for Troll and I was released (more on this in a moment), the game was completely unplayable. The in-game cinemas stuttered violently; the FPS were dismal; and the game would lock up constantly after the hunting/training tutorial. The game also had clipping issues in the environment, causing the protagonist to get stuck on random items (i.e. trees, rocks, etc). In its then current state, Troll and I was not playable (and thus, it could not be reviewed). A patch was released to address some of the aforementioned issues, but it didn’t fix everything.
The story is pretty straight-forward. As Otto, the game’s protagonist — the player must learn to survive in the wilderness after their village is burned to the ground by a group of bandits. Along the way, Otto befriends a giant, mystical Troll that helps aid him on his adventure. The two must work together to survive the dangers that lie ahead.
The game itself is subpar at best. The first segment is spent tracking wild boar and breaking branches off trees to build spears. Once the player has killed enough boar, they must return to their village to witness its demise. From there, the game has the player running through a series of scenarios that involve jumping over and ducking under fallen trees, and then sliding down a mountainside while avoiding large rocks.
Like most of the game, the mountain sequence is difficult to navigate. The game’s choppy performance makes it difficult to judge the distance between Otto and the rocks. For example: there are brief moments when the FPS will increase, speeding up the sequence. But at the same time, there are moments when the FPS will become real choppy, hampering the in-game controls. This usually results in Otto crashing into a rock and dying.
The game has a tendency of locking up right before meeting the Troll. During this review, the Nintendo Switch system in question had to be cold booted twice to bypass this issue. Once the issue was resolved, the game continued. Further research into this issue indicated that it was a common problem with Troll and I and not the fault of the Nintendo Switch hardware.
The co-operative gameplay between Otto and the Troll is a good concept, allowing the player to toggle between the two characters by using the Nintendo Switch’s Analog Pad. As Otto, the player can ride on the Troll’s back to travel faster and to reach platforms otherwise inaccessible from the ground. Some locations require a lot of climbing, and depending on the location, the player must leave the Troll behind and explore as Otto. Sometimes both characters are needed to complete the game’s more demanding puzzles.
Combat is Troll and I’s Achilles heel. It’s almost pointless to use Otto in most combat scenarios since the Troll is overpowered and can kill everything in one hit. Maybe this is deliberate and part of the game’s design, but from a gamer’s perspective – it really hampers the experience.
The rest of the game is spent struggling with the controls, which is unfortunate. Troll and I is a decent concept that is plagued by countless technical bugs. With that in mind, any game – no matter how good or bad it may be – should be approached with some degree of respect. Is Troll and I worth owning? No, not in its current state. But with some additional work (i.e. patching the bugs and balancing the gameplay, as mentioned) would make Troll and I a more bearable (and possibly even fun) game. Until that happens, though – Troll and I is one game that Nintendo Switch gamers should avoid altogether, unless curiosity gets the better of them.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Maximum Games
Publisher: Spiral House
ESRB: T (Teen)
Price: $29.99
Troll and I Official Website:
https://trollandi.maximumgames.com/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Slightly above average graphics that suffer from random glitches. | |
| Sound | |
| Decent sound and fairly competent voice acting. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The game's choppy performance hinders the experience. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Troll and I is one game that Nintendo Switch gamers should avoid altogether, unless curiosity gets the better of them. | |
