PO’ed: Definitive Edition Review (Switch eShop)
Pursue greatness Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster always difficult. Instead of tackling another popular franchise, Nightdive Studios wisely chose to revisit one of the strangest forgotten gems of the ’90s with PO’ed: Definitive edition. Using similar principles to Dark Forces, Nightdive’s latest project breathes new life into the Any Channel-developed FPS that debuted on the 3DO, modernizing it in all the right ways while maintaining Remarkable level of authenticity.
However, we should emphasize from the outset: this is one weird game and it won’t be for everyone. Dark Forces Remaster is based on an already popular title, and even if you haven’t played the original, it’s filled with recognizable images from the original version. Star Wars franchise to make it easy for you to experience the old school.
PO’ed: Definitive Edition doesn’t have that. Its setting, enemy designs, structures and more are very ‘out there’ – if that sounds like your thing then you’re in for a great time. However, we suspect that if your FPS experience is limited to more modern examples of the genre, you might want to try something a little, well, less weird before entering the world of PO’ed.
You play as a chef who accidentally finds himself trapped in a strange, hostile world and must use everything from frying pans to rocket launchers to survive. See? We told you it was weird. Admittedly, the story takes a backseat to the action here, with separate levels taking you through the experience without anything extra in between. We appreciate this quite a bit; The game focuses heavily on fun and freedom above all else, so not having to sit through cutscenes or text boxes is a big win in our eyes.
In terms of level, they are usually large. Actually big. Early in the game, you get a jetpack that can move anywhere in any open space. With this in mind, you’ll often see levels made up of large spaces with short hallways dotted in between. Splitting the jetpack in smaller areas can be a bit tricky, but zooming around in a large room is incredibly fun, and it’s one of the more well-realized uses of the jetpack the clearest we’ve ever seen in any video game.
The many levels in PO’ed are sometimes a real nightmare to navigate though. Usually, the necessary path is very well hidden; as in, you have to go through what appears to be a completely solid wall but is actually just an illusion – that kind of thing. It’s definitely annoying, and we have to admit that there were times when we had to use a YouTube tutorial of the original to be able to figure out where we were supposed to go.
Meanwhile, the war could be a failure. only one much of enemies all over PO’ed, and the game counts how many you’ve killed after each level, so you have a good incentive to hunt them all down. That said, your weapons aren’t always the most accurate, and even when we activated the crosshair feature, we were still spraying bullets everywhere; It’s almost like we just finished basic Stormtrooper training. Enemies are often extremely precise, so even if you attack back and forth, most major encounters will cause you to lose a huge amount of health.
However, not all weapons are created equal, so while basic throwing knives and pistols require more concentration to not miss your shot, Unlike the Uzi, the drill and rocket launcher are a bit more forgiving; you can comfortably walk into a room with all your guns blazing and be confident that you’ll kill multiple enemies in one fell swoop. What helps a lot is the inclusion of gyroscopic targeting – a staple of Nightdive ports at this point – and you can adjust the sensitivity to suit your needs . By default, aiming is done with the analog sticks while the gyroscope is there as a sort of ‘fine-tuner’, but you can increase the sensitivity and set it as the primary control method if want.
In terms of visual and sound design, we’ve already mentioned that PO’ed is a strange game, and this is only reinforced here. Enemies include what looks like a pair of red lips with sharp teeth protruding, a pair of muscular legs with a strange mouth, uh, there, and more. It’s strange, we tell you. The sounds are similar and although there’s no music to speak of, which is unfortunate, some of the sounds you hear will have you rolling with laughter. One of our favorite dance moves has to be the kung-fu-esque “Hwaaaah” sound the main character makes while doing a backflip. Oh yes, you can do backflips at will in this game. It’s pretty awesome.
As usual for Nightdive ports, PO’ed: Definitive Edition runs flawlessly on the Switch at 60fps without a single noticeable drop. Visuals are sharp and some improvements like flicker view, HUD notifications etc have been included here. However, if you want to interpret the original more clearly, you can turn off any or all of the enhancements in the options menu. So while we try to give the game a general recommendation, there’s no denying Nightdive’s efforts and skills in modernizing the experience.
Conclusion
PO’ed Definitive Edition is another fine example of Nightdive Studio’s excellent effort to preserve the quirky, unique games of yore while adding some welcome mod cons. However, with this version, the core experience is a bit too strange to recommend to any FPS fan. The general premise is odd, the enemy designs are unsettling, and the level layouts can be frustrating, especially for newcomers unfamiliar with its old gameplay. Even so, the jetpack is actually one of the most interesting mechanics we’ve tested in gaming, and the strange sound design had us laughing at many points. If you’ve played the original or want to try one of the most unique FPS games from the 90s, it’s worth a try.
