Demolish & Build (Switch) Review

Originally released on PC in 2018, Demolish & Build is essentially the same PC version just ported to Switch. With a bigger emphasis on demolishing over building, the player is assigned tasks to complete with construction tools and vehicles. Once a job is completed, the player is awarded more cash in which bigger and better tools, services, and land can be purchased. Rinse and repeat.

Ultimate Games S.A. has made a name for themselves by releasing awful games on the eShop and Steam. When compared against their previous library, it is reassuring that this latest Switch release is actually playable.  However, the world is mostly empty, as if playing through some forgotten area of a Fallout game, the frame rate dips into single digits, and the pop-in is so bad it makes driving at faster speeds nearly impossible. The visuals are also low res and low poly and the sound effects are ridiculously loud for some reason. However, there are some thoughtful features, like making vehicles magically appear when encountering a parking sign and a mapping system that indicates where to go next. The player can even tap a button to essentially get x-ray vision that highlights objectives and interactive pieces of the environment. 

Although there are many demolishing and building tasks available, some objective are obscure and nonsensical. For example, the player might be challenged with bulldozing a building or a fence, which is straight forward, but then leave the mess behind. Some early objectives is to pick up chairs and throw them in a dumpster, but yet the player should leave behind piles of rubble. Other times, the player can optionally spray a building with a hose to help reduce dust but then the game doesn’t seem to reward or punish the player for performance. The menu and controls, like the gameplay, is also sluggish and a little clumsy.

Demolish & Build on Switch feels like a decent first step or a beta version of a game – it is functional, you can see the potential, but falls short on a technical and gameplay perspective. There are better simulation games out there but it will be curious to see how this series grows if this becomes an annual franchise.

Also Try: Red Faction: Guerrilla, and the Re-Mars-Tered editions

Not As Fun As: Blast Corps (N64 and Rare Replay on Xbox One)

Wait For It: a 2017 version

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz