Rise & Shine

A solid, if uninspiring run ‘n gun title with some very nice visuals. The game’s length and difficulty make it hard to recommend without reservation but if you are after something a little quirky you might enjoy your brief time with this.

Rise and Shine is undoubtedly one of the best-looking games on the Switch. The animations, level design, and characters are nothing short of a feast for the eyes. While this is all well and good, the rest of the game never really finds its footing because of its brevity and lack of focus. If you’re planning on jumping into this adventure, be prepared for a game with elements of an action platformer, with bullet hell moments, that is constantly stifled by the need to be everything all at once.

When everything is put together, Rise and Shine is incohesive, and no aspect of it is compelling enough in its own right to make the game more than the sum of its parts. It probably isn’t a waste of an afternoon to play Rise and Shine, but it's probably better to do anything else instead.

I’m fine with gut-wrenching violence if it’s taken seriously or if there’s a point to be made, but Rise & Shine’s over-the-top carnage is constantly being interrupted by some of the laziest and most ill-timed humor imaginable, all in service of a message that isn’t particularly original or insightful. These uncomfortable tonal shifts would be enough to tarnish even a good game, but the frustrating and underwhelming Rise & Shine isn’t worth putting up with it.