All hail the multiplayer queen
Killer Queen Black has landed on the Nintendo Switch and may be the must-own indie title of 2019. I know most of you will be shocked that I am actually reviewing a game so here we go. Keep in mind this game has no story, nothing to read, and its strictly multiplayer…my kind of game.
Gameplay
Killer Queen Black is a 4v4 multiplayer game with frantic fast-paced gameplay. Each team consists of one queen and three drones. The queen’s job is to kill the other team and keep the other team from upgrading their drones. The drone’s main job is to move berries to the base for an economic win or ride the snail for a snail win. Drones can also upgrade to soldiers and they are able to kill drones and the queen. You need to stay on your toes to make sure you are not only focusing on winning but keeping your opponents busy at the same time. There is nothing worse than getting within inches of the goal only to lose to an economic victory. It is worth noting that if you get stuck on a team that has bots they are very competent and you will never feel like you’re at a disadvantage because of them. Ranked matches may be a different story if you’re playing against a coordinated team using callouts.
Graphics and sound
This game looks like it would have been at home on the SNES with beautiful 16bit sprites. Watching the queen or drones dance during the results screen shows those little touches that make this game feel modern while keeping the classic aesthetic. If you love the sultry sounds of metal as much I do you are in for a treat with this game. Not only do the loading screens and menus have metal filling your earholes it’s also integrated into the matches. When you get a kill in the game you will different metal guitar rifts, and I love it!
Controls
Controls are tight, fluid, and easy to pick up. There is also a level of depth to the controls where you can ping locations for your teammates. I played last night with the SNES controller and it felt like a match made in heaven. Single Joycon is also possible and not terrible. The D-Pad is my preference for controls but the sticks work fine.
Final thoughts
Killer Queen Black is the killer app on the Nintendo Switch if you’re a fan of frantic multiplayer with a lot to manage. Online seems to be pretty smooth but I did run to lag at times. When the lag was present it did make getting kills a little more difficult because I would faze through the opposing team. This game can be played both casually and competitively. The first night with it I played with my family and my eleven years old was having a hard time not swearing because she was getting so into it. They have since requested to play again so that is saying something. Playing competitively with a team and making call-outs adds another level of fun to the game that I know I will love. With all the games coming out this time year Killer Queen Black is a game that should not be missed and gets a 9/10 from me.
Pro – As it’s not my typical style of game, I found the tutorial really quick and helpful in teaching all parts of gameplay and that I prefer to play as worker collecting the berries and riding that snail!
Cons – I find it difficult at times to keep track of my worker, especially at the start of the round. Another little on is flying as a soldier, for some reason the button taps don’t feel as responsive to what your character does
Pressing X will highlight your character, making it a little easier to find in a mess.
Pro: Game is super fun and runs well for the most
Con: Custom matches needs a randomize teams option
I’ve been having a great time playing Killer Queen Back with folks from the N64Josh Discord almost every night since release. We’ve been using Discord chat instead of in-game chat, so I haven’t really tested that out yet.
When you form a group with other players, only the group leader has access to menus and stats. If you aren’t the leader then the only thing you can do is change your options or leave the group. I would love to check out the statistics for myself and the others in my team or then team as a whole (you can check your stats when not in a group). The limited actions when not a group leader is a con for me, although not a large one.
One of my favorite pros (there are so many) is the transparency of the dev team Liquid Bit. Any question I had about the game was answered by their Trello board or their Discord community. For example, after checking out the Spectate mode, I immediately wanted to be able to spectate my friends that were playing. On their Trello board, Liquid Bit has this listed as a post launch feature to add. Also, I wondered if you could get demoted in ranked, I found the answer on their Discord server (“no demotion” 10/18/19). The public communication and community just add to the list of awesome things about this game.
Pros: Great tutorial, the graphics are good, game mechanics are really addicting.
Cons: confusing menu, not that many stages, lack of options for single player. Should of had a season mode or something for offline play.
I’ve been having a fantastic time with this game. All the elements–visual design language, animation, sound track–all work together to create a regular symphony of a game.
One thing I’d like to see added: more information about how ranked matches work. I see chatter online about how points are calculated, where the levels begin and end, and the logic behind it all. But building a slide or two into the game explaining it would make official answers easily accessed in game.
I do love playing with friends. Lots of great matches happening in the N64 Josh Discord.