Narita Boy

 Switch
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 33
  3. Negative: 6 out of 33

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  1. TomMonday
    Jul 29, 2022
    5
    Bought this one for $8.50. That’s about what it’s worth. Trippy platformer with excellent pixel graphics and great music and immersive atmosphere. The experience of playing the game, however, feels a little flat. Essentially, you’re just a Tron clone running around collecting keys and slicing up red monsters with a sword. Worse, constant backtracking through the same beautiful environmentsBought this one for $8.50. That’s about what it’s worth. Trippy platformer with excellent pixel graphics and great music and immersive atmosphere. The experience of playing the game, however, feels a little flat. Essentially, you’re just a Tron clone running around collecting keys and slicing up red monsters with a sword. Worse, constant backtracking through the same beautiful environments makes the revolutionary visuals seem less special. If you’re a fan of beat-em-ups and retro games, Narita Boy might be worth your time. But by the end, I found myself speeding through the endless exposition to get to the predictable ending. WARNING: Be sure to turn on the soft light filter setting, or the blurry visuals will give you a major headache.… Expand
  2. TPsy1007
    Aug 24, 2021
    7
    I’m about an hour and a half into the game, so I’ll probably edit this once I finish it. I’m not a huge fan of game plots being too complex, but understanding what’s going on does matter and I find the whole story of Narito Boy incredibly hard to understand. There are too many branches in the plot all bunched together it almost gives me a headache just reading through its dialogue. WhereI’m about an hour and a half into the game, so I’ll probably edit this once I finish it. I’m not a huge fan of game plots being too complex, but understanding what’s going on does matter and I find the whole story of Narito Boy incredibly hard to understand. There are too many branches in the plot all bunched together it almost gives me a headache just reading through its dialogue. Where the game excels for me is in its visuals. I absolutely love this style of pixel animation plus the obvious 80’s retro environment. The combat is simple with basic hack n slash moves so don’t expect anything amazing from it. I’m enjoying it so far but we’ll see how it goes.… Expand
  3. Nikopro245
    Nov 19, 2022
    7
    A solid 7. No more no less. On the positives the graphics and soundtrack are super cool and very unique.

    However, it is very linear and quite flat in terms of the gameplay, uninspiring even if the story itself has heartfelt moments.
  4. ophone
    Jun 4, 2023
    7
    In general a nice game with an interesting story.
    The main thing I miss though is that you can't switch the movement controls of the protagonist to the directional pad, which makes controls floaty and rather imprecise for a 2D game.

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 6, 2021
    75
    When I first saw Narita Boy, I thought it was too good to be true. Three of my favorite things Ð Tron, beautiful 2D animation and weird indie games Ð all in one package? Somebody pinch me! Overall, the game mostly delivers on that trifecta, but some of it made me sleepy. Thankfully, it ends with the promise of a souped-up sequel in a whole new genre. Here's hoping this modern digital boy is on to bigger and brighter things. [Issue #53 – July/August 2021, p. 22]
  2. COGconnected
    May 5, 2021
    88
    I had a blast with Narita Boy. It’s not perfect, but what is? Indeed, it started slowly, though, it doesn’t take long before you’re capable of exhilarating feats. And the ending is brilliant, paving the way for a sequel that will seemingly be an entirely different genre. Whatever that may be, I’ll be there, at the front of the line. It’s up to you to save the world. So get to it.
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  3. CGMagazine
    Apr 30, 2021
    80
    Narita Boy is visually stunning and packed with great ideas; but for everything it does right, you can see how it could’ve done better.
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