The Nintendo Switch Just Got One Hell Of An Arcade Platformer

If you’re on the lookout for a whimsical, polished, bite-sized masterpiece on the Switch, look no further than Bzzzt. It’s an action platformer starring an adorable robot tasked with navigating one mischievous death trap after another. It scratches the same itch as Astro Bot’s most challenging levels, and I’ve been having a blast with it since it arrived on the Nintendo handheld hybrid earlier this month.

If Bzzzt looks familiar, it’s because the game actually came out last November on PC. It’s the work of lone Czech developer Karel “KO.DLL” Matějka and it punches way above its weight. Channeling a gorgeous pixel art aesthetic and the stripped-down gameplay of an ‘80s arcade classic, it’s an excellent palate cleanser in-between bigger, more complicated games. Imagine Super Meat Boy if it looked like Mega Man and was way shorter.

"Pixel art is for lazy indie devs."
I often hear this statement, and it saddens me a lot. For example, I spent 4 years preparing art for my game = 10,000+ sprites to draw. It was not about my laziness but about passion and masochism. 🤪 I could save a lot of time while using 3D. pic.twitter.com/wLDdwh08EJ

— Ko.dll (@ko_dll) September 3, 2024

Your job is to guide the robot ZX8000 through a gauntlet of sci-fi hazards in a futuristic testing facility while battling the minions of a Dr. Wily-esque villain trying to take over the world. The game is divided into 52 compact stages that ZX8000 can navigate through an expanding arsenal of upgrades beginning with dashes and double jumps. Finishing the level is enough to progress, but gathering every collectible and finishing within the time limit is the ultimate goal. There’s also a bunch of secrets to find, with plenty of nods to older 8-bit games.

Some of the stages I flew through. Others stopped me dead in my tracks like a puzzle-platforming meat grinder. The controls feel very tight, the music is a catchy chiptune tribute, and the game looks electric on a Switch OLED. What puts Bzzzt over the top, though, are the smartly designed levels. They require crafting a mental map of your actions in real time, then adjusting it upon each death until you’re ready to string together the commands necessary to hit every collectible, avoid every danger, and get to the objective in under 30 seconds.

It’s a lot fun even when it’s tough as nails. Bzzzt is also very short—just two to three hours to finish—but that’s part of the charm. It’s perfect for playing five minutes here or 10 minutes there, jumping out before feeling like you want to ragequit and then diving back in once things have cooled off a bit and your fingers are ready to make the magic happen again. And for the real platforming freaks out there, Bzzzt even has a permadeath mode. Deathless runs aren’t for me, but I enjoyed watching this person try.