Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

I don't get much use out of my 3DS these days but whenever it's with me you can bet that WayForward's Mighty Switch Force is loaded on it and ready to go. Originally launched way back towards the end of 2011, the game's unique mix of platform and puzzler action is something that is always great for a quick fix on the way home or a lunch break. Now, nearly five years later WayForward has released the game's Hyper Drive Edition and while it's unquestionably the definitive version of the game thanks to it's completely reworked visuals and extra content, those who already played the original to the end will want to think twice about double dipping since they'll have no choice but to play through everything again to access the extra content. Still though, this is easily the best way to play a criminally underrated game.

If you've never played the original Mighty Switch Force, it's a retro-style action platform that revolves mostly around switching blocks around to cross areas, it may sound simple but there's a lot more to it than you'd expect. You'll be pushing, pulling and using the switch ability on these blocks to reach your goal and the idea is to do it as quickly as possible so mastering each of these abilities is key to getting the best score possible. Each stage has a par score that you're shooting for and you're really looking to beat in order to fully complete each level.

The most obvious change from the original Mighty Switch Force to the Hyper Drive Edition is there completely reworked visual presentation. Most of the game's visuals have been completely overhauled and redrawn and they've never looked better. Backgrounds pop more and enemies are much more vibrant here with awesome detail. Unquestionably though the game's heroin Patricia Wagon, who is on the hunt for escaped criminals gets the best of the new makeover, looking vibrant and animate fantastically with the new style. There's a new costume for Patricia as part of the bonus content too, but whether you have the patience to play through enough to get to it is dependent on a lot of factors.

That's simply because much of the original Mighty Switch Force remains the same in the new version and you're going to have to play through it again to get to any bonus content. That means replaying the same missions, moving the same blocks and defeating the same enemies over again to get anything you haven't done before. It's a strange decision that alienates the tittle's biggest fans and my guess is that a good portion won't be plopping down money for the game again unless they're huge fans. For what it's worth, it's still a great time, especially if you're a fan of the gameplay style but you'd be forgiven if you're hesitant to jump in again.

Is the extra content worth it though? That's a question I can't answer as easily. Hyper Drive features all of the bonus content previously released from the original plus new hyper versions of the original stages. While these hyper versions of the stages aren't incredibly different from the originals, they do change up block and enemy placement and appeal to the core of what makes Switch Force so much fun to begin with. Underneath it all this is a game about speed running and having to adjust your strategy albeit slightly is sure to give even the most seasoned players a challenge worth taking. If this doesn't apply to you however, the extra content in this new version of the game may not be worth your time.

WayForward still has not addressed some of the original game's most nagging problems however and chief among them is the lack of a dedicated online feature. There are some added features here in the Hyper Drive Edition but it seems like such a hassle to compare my scores with those of my friends who are playing the game. This seems like such an easy thing to do in this day and age but apparently not. Apparently the Wii U version takes advantage of the Mii Verse to do this (in an admittedly lackluster way), but it still just seems like a misfire.

I enjoyed the original Mighty Switch Force a lot more than I thought I would, and thought the Hyper Drive Edition was just more of a good thing - though as an avid player of the original I never felt compelled to finish the game again to get to the bonus content, which is a shame because once I did get to it I had a lot of fun with it. This is unquestionably the best version of a criminally underrated game, but it's just a shame that it alienates it's most dedicated players in the process.