Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a fast-paced action-puzzle-RPG that is available for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS family of systems. The game is developed by Nintendo EPD and indieszero Corporation, famous for the NES Remix and Theatrhythm series of games.
Get ready for an experience unlike any other that involves devouring scrumptious sushi and hurling your empty plates at your opponents. Sounds odd you say? Well that’s just one of the many reasons why you wont be able to put down this game once you start playing.
Game Details
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: June 8, 2018
Developer: Nintendo EPD and indieszero Corporation
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action-puzzle-RPG
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Spread the word of sushi to everyone
If it wasn’t clear from the name of the game, you’ll definitely know by the superbly animated and very colourful opening song that Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido has a heavy Japanese influence on it. You play as a budding orphaned Sushi Striker named Musashi in a world where sushi has caused a great divide amongst people and is responsible for many wars.
While you are out one day looking for food, you meet a sushi striker named Franklin and his partner sprite Ara-o. Franklin wants to spread the love of sushi to everyone and is suddenly captured by the evil Empire and taken away. After acquiring your own sprite, Jinrai, you band together and set off to free Franklin and spread the good word of sushi.
As you can see the story in Sushi Strikers is just a tad bit weird to say the least. Yes, the writing is cheesy, but it’s this creative and unique approach to the story are what totally drew me into the game. To be honest, the story is so light hearted that it’s a breath of fresh air compared to many other games. I actually found myself wondering who Musashi would meet next and took pleasure in taking down the evil members of the empire.
Learn the Way of Sushido
Within minutes of starting the game you begin to learn the fundamentals of what makes Sushi Strikers: The Way of Sushido an addicting game. In a nutshell, plates of sushi zip across several levels of conveyor belts in front of you and you must match like coloured plates. As you collect these plates, you can then hurl them at your opponent causing damage.
The more plates you collect at once, the higher the stack you can throw at your opponent and cause more damage.
Vanquish the evil empire with the help of Sushi Sprites
The fun doesn’t stop there. You are slowly introduced to more complex gameplay mechanics. You’ll need to manage special skills that come to you in the form of Sushi Sprites. These companions each have a special skill that you can use during battle.
Skills range from turning all the plates to the same colour to sending zapping your opponents with electricity when you throw plates at them. You can equip a total of three Sushi Sprites, which adds an unbelievable amount of depth and strategy to the game. As you battle, your Sushi Sprites will gain experience and level up. In turn, this increases their strength and effectiveness against your opponents.
The game has a whopping 150 battles for you to square off during the campaign. Linking plates can be done by the use of the Switch’s touch screen or the 3DS stylus, in addition to using the standard controls. I preferred using the touch screen as I found I was able to link same coloured plates together and dish out devastating combos faster than using either a Pro Controller or the Joy-Con controllers.
A game that is bursting with personality
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a game that is bursting with personality! I’ve got to hand it to Nintendo EPD and indieszero Corporation, the anime style cinematics and the zany characters are a sight to behold. Visuals are bright, colourful and voice acting is top notch.
I really couldn’t imagine any other type of art style for this game. Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is definitely full of charm. Check out the main theme of the game below and get ready to sing along!
Local and online multiplayer modes
In addition to the single player story mode, Sushi Striker has both local and online multiplayer modes. Though, multiplayer does not unlock until you get to chapter 5 in the campaign mode. Something that I found interesting about local multiplayer mode was that instead of playing splitscreen on the same Switch, the player with a higher level plays in the back.
You can play in regular battles or something called Chaos Battles. In Chaos Battles, you can use your Sushi Sprites from the game and use their special skills in the game. I really enjoyed the game’s multiplayer modes and getting into a game online wasn’t difficult at all.
Additionally, you can battle your friend locally each using your own Switch consoles. You’ll each need a copy of the game to pop in and play.
Up for a challenge? Try puzzle mode
If you want to take a break from the game’s campaign or multiplayer mode, you can take on puzzle mode. In puzzle mode, you have to clear all the sushi plates from the conveyor belts with a limited amount of moves. Let me tell you, it sounds a lot easier that it is.
The amount of challenge this mode provides can sometimes make you want to pull your hair out. That being said, no matter how many times I failed, I kept going back for more.
Final Thoughts
If you love action-puzzle games with RPG elements and are looking for a one of a kind over-the-top experience, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido fits the bill. It has over 150 battles, 50 Sushi Sprites, and both local and online battles. There is never a dull moment in the game.
More over, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a perfect game that you can pickup and play for 10-30 minutes at a time. Perfect for on the go! Give Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido a try, I’m sure you will love it.
+ Addicting gameplay that is easy to pick up and play
+ Beautifully animated cutscenes and quality voice acting
+ A cheesy story that you can’t help but love
+ Plenty of content and game modes to keep you busy
– Multiplayer modes need to be unlocked to play
– Accuracy with the Pro Controller or Joy-Cons isn’t as accurate as touch controls
OVERALL
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating 4/5 (80%)
Get Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS
It does look like this game could be fun. I’ve downloaded the demo on my Switch, but I haven’t tried it yet. I might just have to sooner rather than later.
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