Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! Review (Switch)
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! is a simulation/management game recently ported to the Nintendo Switch by developer Daylight Studios. This port follows a successful run for the game on Steam after its release in Mid-2015. In the game, the player plays as a naive young potato-person who inherits his late grandfather’s weapon shop. The player then crafts weapons to fit various heroes in different lands to gain fame and fortune. Certain heroes like certain types of weapons and stats, and it is up to the player to craft these weapons while still making a profit. As the game progresses, the player unlocks additional marketplaces to sell these crafted weapons in.
Let me begin by saying that I like this game, but it has some serious flaws. The overall gameplay mechanics are extremely repetitive, with the player constantly buying and researching materials, training and managing staff, or selling products. After about 30 minutes of continuous gameplay, I found myself just mindlessly doing the same things over and over. This isn’t bad for a game on a portable system, I just wish there was more variety involved in the game.
image via Daylight Studios
The physical controls for the Switch don’t feel intuitive, and throughout my gameplay, I found myself constantly hitting the wrong button. Holy Potatoes! does support touch controls, and I found these easier to use when I could use them out of the dock. Finally, regardless of whether I play the game on a TV or the Switch’s screen, the in-game text is extremely small and difficult to read. While none of these issues significantly hindered my ability to play or complete the game, I wish that the developer had resolved them before the game’s release.
The game does have some positive points as well. The dialog and overall story of the game are hilarious at times, with pop culture references everywhere. The game is also very pick up and go friendly, which makes the game very nice to have loaded on the Switch for when you don’t have enough time for more in-depth games. This feels like the game’s primary target audience, as extended play sessions can start to feel a bit boring.
Overall, Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! is an entertaining game even though it suffers from some significant gameplay issues.
Note: GameOctane editor Jason Germino received a digital code from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing this game. Any code or product intended for reviews is distributed to the team to review and stream for our audience.
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