Developed by a solo dev, Paddle Paddle Paddle is a purposely challenging physics-based rowing simulator designed around humor. Fans of games like Jump King or the more recent Brave Escape will understand the appeal of this two-button, hard-as-hekk game.
Even without a tutorial or story, the premise is immediately understood – paddle to the exit without bumping anything. Touch anything and it is back to the most recent checkpoint. Reaching each checkpoint, however, takes tremendous effort and is a call for celebration as this is no easy game. While the challenge is relentless and will result in more swearing than you’ll care to admit, it never reaches impossible heights. In fact, the pacing is set in a way where it cries for that “just one more try” mentality since every death is squarely the player’s fault. Still, this game isn’t for the faint of heart or for those who give up at the first sign of trouble.
This Switch version has newly adopted touch controls if you wanted to try this form of input otherwise the entire game revolves around tapping the triggers to paddle left or right. Plus, single and multiplayer modes are available. Granted, solo play is the easiest as coordinating with your own brain takes less effort than becoming one with a friend. However, it is comforting to know that local and online multiplayer is available if you wanted to test your friendship. Just keep in mind, online play is locked behind a room code. Meaning, you cannot just jump into a game with a rando so coordination with another Switch player would be required to play online. There is also a 4-player race with many things to unlock, adding a little more replay value. Pro players can always try and best their times too.
Paddle Paddle Paddle knows exactly what it is doing and does it unapologetically. This game isn’t for everyone and that is perfectly okay, but for those who get a kick out of perfection-based quirky challenges, this humorous rowing simulator is a wild ride.
SCORE: 8/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
Please consider supporting me on Patreon or BuyMeACoffee.
