She gets everything she wants. Even if she's done nothing to deserve it, aside from having

good genetics and an even better rack. The ladies of Mighty Switch Force! are not that

girl. Now, don't get me wrong, these ladies are pretty. And every one of them has an exquisite

pixelated rack.

But they're more than just, sexy sprites...with suggestive comments.

And 16-bit boob physics.

They're also...I lost my train of thought.

Nonetheless, hot chicks, great platforming, retro graphics. That's, like...I'm not sure

there's anything else I want video games to have. And it just so happens that Mighty Switch

Force! has all three of them, and in copious amounts. There were actually a couple different

Mighty games before it, but after it debuted on the 3DS in 2011, Mighty Switch Force! kinda

became its own thing. It got an HD rerelease in 2012, for the Wii U...and a year later,

sequel city.

Mighty Switch Force! 2. This time, you spray girls with hoses.

You freaking perv.

So you play as Patricia Wagon. Get it, Patty Wagon? Anyway, she's a sexy little cyborg

who served as a police officer in the original game. This time, she's a fire lady. So she

has to rescue damsels in distress and save some babies. So you could call it a fire-fighting

simulator, only it's also a great puzzle-platformer. And the raddest f*cking fire-fighting simulator

ever.

This game is unbelievable.

So it works like this. Each level—or incident, as they're called—has five hot chicks to

save, as well as an optional baby...which are really tricky to get to. So you platform

your way through the level to get to the girls. Only it's not that simple. See, there two

sets of blocks scattered through each stage, and Patty Wagon can switch them between foreground

and background. So you can move them back and forth to, say...create a staircase, or

activate a cannon.

Or crush a bad guy through the screen.

This switching mechanic is the game's central element, and it's amazing how many ways the

team at WayForward incorporates that into the level design. Like the original game,

it just never gets old. Both because it's so much fun to switch on the fly...and because

the design is always creative. And of course, the sequel throws water into the mix. There

are blocks that you can wash away, there are tubes you can use to blast water above you.

So although the mechanics are similar to the original, this one also has its a bit of its

own identity. The water puzzles really set Mighty Switch Force! 2 apart from its predecessor.

You know what else I love about these games? The pace. The levels never stick around too

long. They never wear out their welcome. Each of the game's 16 levels are just the right

length, and when it's all said done, you can finish the game in two or three hours. Fortunately,

it's also one of those games you can replay over and over, because it emphasizes speed

runs. Each level has a par time, which...I never even came close to matching.

But at least working toward it is a lot of fun.

You know, the amazing thing about WayForward is that...they don't just make great games.

They make great games that are, like...little time machines. Mighty Switch Force! 2 is just

an awesome game, period. But it also, legitimately, feels like some forgotten Super Nintendo classic.

It totally has that 16-bit feel, and not just because of how it looks.

It's how it's designed.

It's how it plays.

WayForward may or may not have a time machine, is what I'm saying.

Look, guys. It's real simple. If you have a Wii U, and you have, like...15 bucks to

spare, you need to load up the eShop and get both of them. The original game, the Hyper

Drive Edition, and this tremendous sequel. Mighty Switch Force! 2 is a truly great platformer,

wearing the disguise of a truly great puzzle game...starring 16-bit girls, with truly great

racks.