Switch Galaxy Ultra Review

From futuristic racing games like Wipeout to endless runners like Temple Run, you may enjoy the various genres from which Switch Galaxy Ultra borrows. Don’t let the appeal of those games fool you into thinking you’re getting something similar here; though it possesses some elements from other titles, Switch Galaxy Ultra does not fuse them together in a way that retains any charm.

You control a spaceship that zooms through over 50 levels, jumping between multiple tracks and dodging hazards like colored barriers and other ships. These obstacles mainly slow you down, so the stakes aren’t too high; your final time might be awful, but you can always cross the finish line. The main challenge is collecting enough of a resource called Tantalum in each level, since that – not your completion time – is what dictates your progression.

Zipping around at high speeds is fun at first, but the novelty wears off as the need for Tantalum grows. You harvest it during mid-level sections where you float around in 3D space and grab the orbs as they fly by. Steering your ship during these sections is finicky, so getting all of the Tantalum is rare – and hanging onto it is even rarer. After completing these sections, any obstacles you hit for the remainder of the course deplete your gathered Tantalum. If you only collected four of ten possible Tantalum orbs, and then hit a barrier or two, your net gain for the course is paltry. This becomes absolutely infuriating on more demanding levels – especially since losing the Tantalum rarely feels like your fault.

In a speed-focused, reflex-driven game, the controls need to work well. They don’t in Switch Galaxy Ultra, which is a consistent and damning problem. Anything fun about the experience rapidly decays as the simple act of moving your ship becomes an exercise in frustration. Switching from track to track is responsive, but the hit detection is unpredictable. I cannot count the number of times I switched lanes, landed right in the middle of a speed boost, but did not receive the benefit. On the flip side, switching into barriers that appear to be past the danger zone is also a frequent (and maddening) occurrence.

The lack of reliability – and the Tantalum you lose as a result – throws a wrench in a formula that is supposed to be simple and addictive. The ability to purchase additional cars and upgrades doesn’t salvage the fun or add enough variety. I must not be the only one turned off by the experience; my attempts to find other people playing the game were fruitless, but Switch Galaxy Ultra has online multiplayer that apparently supports cross play between PS4 and Vita. Unfortunately, that support doesn’t amount to much if no one is playing.

Switch Galaxy Ultra is a revamp of the PS Mobile title Switch Galaxy, which itself was a follow-up to the iOS/Android game called Switch. This successor offers more impressive visuals and more levels, but the flawed structure, controls, and general repetitiveness result in a wreck on the track.