Most of the time the chance arises to pull out your Nintendo Switch is an opportunity to relax and enjoy whatever game we are sinking our teeth into. However, there are times when a game will cause us to do anything but relax, eyes glued to the screen as we grip their controllers tight, entirely focused on the challenge ahead. TEN – Ten Rooms, Ten Seconds is one of the latter; an experience that will have you on the edge of your seat intermittently tempted to throw your Switch at the wall in anger.
Wall-to-Wall Insanity
TEN is a brutal platformer, rife with challenges, traps, and a collection of ways your character will die infuriating deaths. Starting as it means to go on, the game thrusts players into the jaws (and saws) of death.
After a quick and helpful tutorial floor, the difficulty makes an immediate spike in difficult as it throws players into an onslaught of spinning blades, bombs, and turrets. Players find themselves quickly moving around each room which allows players to dodge oncoming dangers.
Anyone familiar with the likes of Super Meat Boy will find the speed at which the game goes to be familiar, maybe even welcome. TEN – Ten Rooms, Ten Seconds comes with three levels of difficulty, allowing players of varying skill levels and confidence to try their hands at this gruelling death trap.
Players collect coins as they progress through each room and these coins can be spent in between floors on upgrades. Upgrades include HP buffs, the ability to float after jumps and the addition of more coins to grab in each room.
The inclusion of these upgrades takes the sting off of dying continuously with each run allowing players build up their purse. TEN does a good job of making each death feel worthwhile by allowing players access to upgrades sooner depending on their skill level.
Finally, while not strictly a gameplay feature, the bestiary is a welcome addition. Comedic commentaries on the various cannons, sawblades, and bosses you encounter help bring life to a game that ironically does everything to take yours.
The gameplay in TEN can be painfully difficult but does well to help players along the way and rewards their patience. However, for those not wanting to go through easy mode, it can be a steep learning curve that threatens to be off-putting to newcomers.
Simplicity Amidst the Slaughter
TEN’s gameplay aims to be complex in contrast with an incredibly simple presentation. The game uses an 8-bit art style along with a flat colour palette, which makes it easy on the eyes as players progress.
The majority of the world around the player is coloured in black, white, and other pleasant colours but every danger will be immediately noticeable by its distinctive red.
This choice makes it much easier for players to keep track of what is going on on their screens. The game draws attention to all incoming danger so you don’t lose sight of it. TEN doesn’t let the hazards distract too much from environment or the player character.
Overall, the graphical choices made for TEN do much to help the overall experience. The game’s art and colour choice highlight what’s important which lends the game some fairness, as well as making the time spent in front of the scene comfortable for the player’s eyes.
Masochistic Metal Melodies
To add atmosphere to this experience, dBXY Collective lends their composing talents. Each floor has its own intense backing track that picks up when players are facing each room’s challenges.
On completing a room, the music recedes to a more subdued version which wills players to jump into the next room to feel the rush again. Each floor has its own tracks to help set them apart and how TEN uses music works wonders at dictating the pace of the experience and helping overall immersion in the game.
To Die For?
The Bworg make a strong debut withTEN – Ten Rooms, Ten Seconds. The team has crafted a tightly-knit, enjoyable experience that will push players to the extreme whilst rewarding their efforts. AndTEN offers a feeling of fun and accomplishment I feel is amplified by experiencing it on the Switch.
With the varying difficulty levels, players can have a laidback, casual run or amp it up and push themselves through the most intense of challenges offered and while this may be daunting at first, pushing through it will bring an intense, refined experience you won’t soon put down.
Nintendo Switch review code provided by PR