Diamond in the Rough
I’ve searched for hidden games on the eShop since I bought the Switch, hoping to pull a golden nugget from the trash dump of shovelware now plaguing the system. This process has not been very fruitful at all, pairing me with the likes of Headsnatchers, Concept Destruction, World for Two, and the Town of Light. Admittedly, I made my search more painful by the rigid rules I set for what constituted a “hidden gem.” Because I’ve been an indie afficionado for some time, simply being a lesser-known indie release is not enough to qualify a game as a hidden gem. No, a hidden gem needs less than four reviews on Metacritic and fewer than 100 reviews on Steam.
Am I arbitrary? Absolutely.
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind+, however, met these parameters, becoming my one and only hidden game on the Switch. That’s not to say I found something that will appeal to everyone. It’s not even close to being a perfect game, with its quality hovering around the 7.5/8 scores. It has some absurdly frustrating sections, as we’ll see with the fifth video. Player 2 hasn’t played a more difficult game, and the two of us have bickered a fair share in learning how to cooperate. Despite all this, we look forward to recording it each week.
My hope is that these videos will bring more recognition to a game that deserves it. Considering I have only a fraction of the following Red Rope has, it is a bit of a pipe dream to do this, but Player 2 and I will try our darn hardest. We may put together a promotion of sorts in the future, but we have to finish this walkthrough first. We’re four videos in, and we have at least nine to go.
Wish us luck.