Nintendo Switch – Plantera DX #54

Cookie Clicker Returns with a new Skin

I must admit that weirdly enough I am a fan of clicker-style games. There is something about aimlessly tapping your screen in order to advance, something so passive and calm that just always has been hard not to love. So when I heard that Plantera DX was going to be the first of its kind to come to the Switch, I was kinda excited.

Was my excitement justified or is Plantera DX a deluxe failure? Let’s find out!

Plantera DX – Nintendo Switch – Released: 12/12/17 – $4.99

Short Review

Plantera DX is somewhat disappointing, not because it’s a bad game but because it just doesn’t work on the Switch as well as I would’ve liked. The tapping mechanic is a bit more gimmicky than usual and the entire game goes from barely anything to click on to too much to click on in a matter of minutes, the transition just isn’t smooth and for this reason the entire experience just feels out of place. I understand the appeal for games that don’t take overly long to advance, but even then Plantera DX just feels too fast taking away from any sort of personal achievement.

Here is the extremely cute icon:

Gameplay

In Plantera DX you tap or move your cursor in order to pickup fruits, scare animals away amongst other things that always give you coins. With these coins you can buy new plants or extend your land, and the process just goes on and on and on and on. You can also level up by picking enough fruit, and by doing so you unlock new plants that will just allow you to continue this never-ending cycle.

How Does It play on Switch?

It plays well like you would expect from any sort of simple game like this. However due to it being a clicker I feel like there’s a very strong emphasis on using the touchscreen instead of any sort of controller. This is somewhat a deal breaker for me, because I like to see games that fully utilize the Switch’s features and Plantera DX just doesn’t seem like one of them.

How fun is it?

None of the problems mentioned above matter if the game is fun, and deep down I just couldn’t find any enjoyment with this title. I always knew that I could have better clicker experiences on my phone and for that reason my play sections never lasted any longer than 5 minutes.

Conclusion

Sure it is only a $5 game but you can get cookie clicker for free on your smartphone. For that reason I just can’t recommend this title for anyone. The game’s ultra speedy progression system takes away from any sort of personal enjoyment and when combined with the fact that it doesn’t make use of all of the Switch’s feature, instead pushing for a handheld mode focus, I just simply can’t recommend Plantera DX.

UPDATE: 5/30/18

I would give this game a 3 out of 10!

Trailer

 

Advertisement