No Straight Roads

 Switch
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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 48 Ratings

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  • Summary: Exclusive Assist Mode - Partner up with an additional local player to take control of the Elliegator, a secret alligator assistant who can help players in battle by picking up items, transforming props and calling in useful bonuses.
    ● 3-Player Co-Op - Played in conjunction with the game’s     Exclusive Assist Mode - Partner up with an additional local player to take control of the Elliegator, a secret alligator assistant who can help players in battle by picking up items, transforming props and calling in useful bonuses.
    ● 3-Player Co-Op - Played in conjunction with the game’s co-op mode, Assist Mode lets up to three local players experience No Straight Roads’ music-based action together, only on Nintendo Switch.
    ● Touchscreen Support - Use the Nintendo Switch system’s touchscreen to transform props and pick up items.
    ● Single Nintendo Switch Joy-ConTM Controller Play - Play through the entire game using a single Joy-Con, or pass the second Joy-Con to a friend to play in couch co-op.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. TheGamer
    Aug 25, 2020
    100
    It’s not the sort of game that could be sold successfully in a thirty-second elevator pitch, but No Straight Roads is a nearly-flawless title that serves as an awesome homage to the rhythm games of yesteryear while simultaneously offering up new and inventive gameplay and narrative elements.
  2. Nintenderos
    Aug 25, 2020
    85
    No Straight Roads is one of this year's surprises on Nintendo Switch. An adventure game that perfectly mixes rhythm and platforms, full of charisma, with a spectacular soundtrack and dubbing. A Malaysian gift to indie games.
  3. Nintendo Insider
    Aug 25, 2020
    80
    Everything functions well enough, but it doesn’t evolve beyond that at any point besides the boss battles. Even with these issues, No Straight Roads is one of the most heartfelt and stylish games I’ve played in a really long time.
  4. GameSpot
    Aug 25, 2020
    70
    My time in No Straight Roads was torn between true enjoyment and wanting to hurl my controller at the screen. Between camera issues, bugginess, and other weird little problems (especially in multiplayer mode), there’s enough to put a damper on the whole experience. However, The characters, bright futuristic world, imaginative boss battles, and excellent music act as wonderful antidotes. Once I eventually got into the groove, I found a really special and evocative musical experience in No Straight Roads. But I had to work pretty hard to get here. No Straight Roads asks a bit of its fans, but I’m glad I put the effort in and I’d gladly buy the t-shirt.
  5. Pure Nintendo
    Oct 26, 2020
    70
    No Straight Roads often has a frustrating difficulty that stems more from developer choices and less from player skill, making for flawed fun. This rhythm brawler is best played as an in-sync duo or trio. But a slicker, more stylish toe-tapping passion product, you’re not likely to find. I hope to see more of Bunk Bed Junction.
  6. XGN
    Aug 27, 2020
    70
    No Straight Roads is a rock game that delivers in terms of variation. At least in the levels and the different boss fights. In terms of enemies, the game lacks a few miles and the dialogues of the game tend to get a little annoying because of the screaming main character. Still, this is a game you should definitely play. For just under 40 euros you get six hours of entertaining gameplay full of colors and a very strong soundtrack!
  7. Shacknews
    Aug 25, 2020
    40
    I'm really wishing I had opted to play on PlayStation 4, but I would have had to wait longer for code to review, and there is no co-op mode to play with on PS4. The Switch version got several console-specific modes, including Assist Mode, three-player co-op, touchscreen support, and single Joy-Con play. Why Metronomik opted to reward the system least capable of running the game smoothly with additional content like this is beyond me, but I wish all systems supported three-player co-op to avoid these issues.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 15
  3. Negative: 4 out of 15
  1. Cryslyn
    Sep 7, 2020
    10
    fun, vibrant, and unique. the game is has very charming characters and seeing them interact makes me happy
  2. JuanIV
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    I had a lot of fun with it. Way more challenging than I though it was going to be. Killer soundtrack, along with the really fun look of theI had a lot of fun with it. Way more challenging than I though it was going to be. Killer soundtrack, along with the really fun look of the whole game in terms of charachter design's. It might be short but it's well worth your time.… Expand
  4. Mental-Bug
    Aug 31, 2020
    9
    So much love has went into this game and it shows. The story, characters, and music are all excellent. The boss battles are the best part -So much love has went into this game and it shows. The story, characters, and music are all excellent. The boss battles are the best part - both cinematic and unique. Being made by such a small studio, the bugs are not too surprising - and it is a shame that the Switch's hardware limitations don't show the gorgeous graphics in their full glory. Note that a patch is in the works as of writing this. After beating the game, I look forward to going back and getting what I missed. Overall the game shines through the rough edges, leaving a game that made me laugh, cry, and definitely think. 9/10… Expand
  5. OldMcBrother
    Jan 21, 2022
    7
    This is an...alright game I suppose. My favorite part is the whole bit with 1010, because it was just hilarious and has good music. Kliff isThis is an...alright game I suppose. My favorite part is the whole bit with 1010, because it was just hilarious and has good music. Kliff is honestly one of not the worst twist villian in any media I've experienced. If they put more time and effort into this it could've been something truly special, but as it stands it's a good game with a buttload of flaws.… Expand
  6. Citrusrobot
    Aug 28, 2020
    6
    You will spend this game doing three things:
    - Exploring a boring pointless hub world.
    - Fighting three repetitive enemies over and over    You will spend this game doing three things:
    - Exploring a boring pointless hub world.

    - Fighting three repetitive enemies over and over again in boring levels.

    - And fighting really cool, interesting, but poorly built boss levels.

    I really want to finish this game because I love the style, the music, and all the VA work, it really has this fresh charm! But it's not fun gameplay, I spent the whole game hoping the next boss would be cooler then the last but it peaks really early.

    The camera is so poor I have to squint to see anything when docked, and there is so much happening on screen that I can't help but get hit by attacks. I feel like the games trying to enforce that you can dodge to the rhythm but it quickly stops feeling like it lines up at all. Over all the gameplay just really drags everything else down.

    All this said, I can't get Sayu's theme out my head.    … Expand
  7. RaigaPhantomX70
    Aug 29, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is pretty good, but for the Switch version, there are A LOT of problems here. Before I want to get to the negatives, I want to mention some positives here. First off, the music is AMAZING and there is no denying that. They put a lot of effort into that. The characters and their development are pretty fine as we explore and see who they are. Some of the gameplay is alright, especially going after various bosses and seems pretty fun. Especially doing things like hard/crazy/parry modes. So far, those are the only positives that I can see.

    Now for the negatives. First off, the graphics are not that good in the Switch version. Yes, I can understand they downgraded it to match the specs for it which I don't mind that much. Some of the character models and certain places were alright. However, it's very buggy and missing a lot of things and other features that the PS4 and PC versions have. One of them would be the missing healing items for DK West rap battles for the second and third part. I barely made it through the second part after around 30 or so attempts, but still can't get pass through the third part. The PS4 and PC versions have that, but not the Switch and from what I've heard the Xbox One versions. Also, with the graphics downgrade and again with the bugs that occurred, some of the colors. textures and other things were out of place. One example is in DJSS parry mode, the parry colors in his third phase where he traps and attacks you with the planets are red, not pink for parrying. Other examples include things like in the final boss against Tatiana where the camera sometimes keep going out of place at a certain phase where I can't tell if I'm attacking here or the pendulum thing or not.

    Another is that the performance is, at very places and other things in the game, tend to freeze up sometimes and goes really slow. One of them is when starting the game and when selecting Continue, it takes 15 seconds just to get to the next part of the screen. Another is that in the final part of the game, with Kliff and all the NSR robots as well as the part where you stop the satellite, the fps went down a lot. Plus, the characters' lips are not syncing from time to time.

    Overall, again, the music is really great and if anyone is interested in getting the soundtrack, I would highly recommend getting it if interested. Some of the bosses and gameplay were kind of alright even though some parts might have some bugs. Now in terms of graphics and performance as well as what I've mentioned above, they are not good. Along with that, and sorry if I'm repeating this again, there are a lot of missing things in the Switch version that the PS4 and PC doesn't have. There is no excuse for that and it seems that they were in a rush in releasing this game for the Switch. Aside from that, this was a good effort and definitely this game had a lot of potentials, especially being developed by former devs leads from Square Enix and Capcom, but this was not good enough. Especially when seeing the PS4 version that there are some things that are missing and that they should've released this game in all of the platforms at a later time in order to polish up and fix these major issues. If anyone is interested in playing NSR, don't get this for the Switch or Xbox One. If you have a PS4 or at least a PC that has the recommended specs for your own, I would suggest getting either one of those instead. Aside from that, hopefully, the devs can learn from this in the future and as far as I can see, the community seems pretty friendly and the devs are pretty transparent as they released a recent video admitting the bugs and issues in the Switch and are patching that up.    … Expand
  8. Rhaeleden
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    I really hope the developers take the time to fix all these gameplay issues because they are hard to justify given the $40 price point of thisI really hope the developers take the time to fix all these gameplay issues because they are hard to justify given the $40 price point of this game. Even without all these bugs, the price for the game is still questionable given the relatively short and unpolished gameplay.

    Some people are saying that this game is made by a small team but if you pay attention to the credits, there is at least 100 people and several studios involved in the making of this game. It's certainly not AAA but that is a MASSIVE budget for an indie game. Additionally, the Metronomik team has assistance from a big publisher and has also received the Epic Games exclusivity grant.

    With the amount of people involved as well as the pricing of the game, I feel that this game needs be compared with other action games of similar price points especially if games like Psychonauts ($20) and Child of Light ($15) are considered non-indie. I wouldn't mind paying $40 for this kind of game if the gameplay actually is good. But as it is right now, the lack of content and quality in NSR's gameplay makes it difficult to give this one a pass.    … Expand

See all 15 User Reviews

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82
#82 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

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