Prodeus - Switch Review

Prodeus is a fast-paced, retro-inspired shooter re-imagined using modern technology with a retro aesthetic. Shoot, mane and slaughter your enemies with a host of advanced weaponry as you move through an intense campaign or team up with others and slaughter together in community-made levels with friends in co-op or online multiplayer.

The Good

Prodeus is probably one of the best retro shooters I've played in a long time! From the get-go, you're tossed into the campaign and moving through a series of stages, killing dozens of demons, zombies and other abominations. You’re equipped with 18 weapons, each having their own main firing mode and secondary firing modes when aiming down the sights. You can use your fists, hand-guns, super shotguns, and even more advanced weaponry like the fantastic plasma rifle with homing shots and lock on features. Each weapon feels incredibly punchy and blasting zombies into pieces has never been this satisfying.

All that I mentioned above is thanks to the advanced dismemberment system. Each kill is very visceral; as heads explode, limbs melt and blood chunks fly in every possible direction. It's a festival of death at the highest order, and shooter fans will revel in the on-screen carnage that Prodeus provides.

There’s a campaign mode that allows you to progress through a series of stages, find keys, defeat hordes of enemies, and find secrets, such as fragments that allow you to purchase new equipment in shops from the hub area. The layout of levels features a clever use of the mini-map which allows you to see things from all angles once you’ve acquired any mini-map data in a stage. However, it was never an issue for me as I always knew where I needed to go next thanks to the areas having enemies seamlessly appearing to organically lead the way. This kept the game high on action with very little time spent needlessly wandering.

The campaign can be extended thanks to the huge amount of community-driven content available to download and play at any time. There are single stages, and even entire campaigns, giving you a near-infinite amount of extra content to play with. Prodeus also supports achievements and online multiplayer, but more on that later…

TL;DR

• 18 weapons that pack a serious punch
• Extreme gore
• Meaty campaign with community driven content
• Infinite amount of stages to download and unlockable achievements to earn

The Bad

The one issue I have in Prodeus is the online multiplayer option as it is completely empty most of the time; and I've tried multiple times to find a game, but to no avail. This is completely baffling to me as the game is so good, I can't understand why people aren't playing online! It's strange as the map maker content is flowing with online content but no one’s actually playing the multiplayer, which seems a little odd to me. This is the same for the online co-op for the campaign, a feature that you can’t even play local multiplayer split-screen for. I wonder if there is something wrong with the multiplayer servers on the Nintendo Switch version, perhaps.

The aforementioned stage maker that's available on other systems is not available on the Switch version, which I am pretty gutted about as I'd love to create my own stages.

Finally, just to make you aware, you’ll need to log into the Pronet server to access the community-driven content. Multiplayer, leaderboards, cross-platform saves; an internet connection is required for all of this, meaning that these will be unavailable if you're playing without a connection or on-the-go without a hotspot.

TL;DR

• Online multiplayer is dead
• No local multiplayer
• No map maker
• Internet required if you want to use extra features

Final Score: 9/10

In the end, I just wish I knew what was going on with the online multiplayer as it's the only thing that's tarnishing this incredible shooter. Although, even with these issues, Prodeus is still hands-down one of the best shooters I've played in a long time. The blood and gore that sprays across the screen thanks to the dismemberment system is bloody brilliant! It’s so satisfying to witness, plus the dozens of extra effects really make for a visual treat, if not a retro one, on the Nintendo Switch. Add the game’s dynamic haptic feedback with HD Rumble to that visceral imagery on my Pro Controller and it makes fights intense. Throw in the community driven content and online leaderboards, and you’ve got a recipe for pure carnage!

Thank you for checking out our Prodeus Switch review, thank you to Humble Games (via fortyseven PR) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
• Bel Cubitt
• NintenVania Podcast
• Rachelle Suri-Tucker

For more reading, check out our Aeterna Noctis review.