We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
Switch

North America

Trash Quest (Switch) Review

by Jordan Rudek - December 16, 2021, 9:00 am EST
Discuss in talkback!

7.5

A trash panda's day out, Metroidvania style.

Trash Quest is a micro-Metroidvania in the vein of Gato Roboto and Xeodrifter, except smaller and with less backtracking. It's a funny name since the only major reference to literal garbage is the fact that the game's sole respawn point is indeed a trash receptacle, and of course the main character being a raccoon. With essentially no filler at all, this brisk romp through the corridors of a spaceship makes for a quaint but satisfying way to pass an hour or two.

A few lines of exposition reveal little in the way of story, but it's probably a good thing that Trash Quest gets straight to the point. Fans of the genre will recognize the trappings right away, but essentially you make your way through the five different areas of the ship, defeating a boss, and acquiring new abilities in each area that help you traverse the next one. Given that the game leans heavy to the linear side, there seems to be an expected path that players will end up taking.

Initially, you have a basic gun attack and a single jump. Over the course of the game, you'll earn more jumps and improvements to your weapon, but nothing too flashy. In terms of its action, Trash Quest focuses more on platforming than shooting, which makes for a nice change of pace after playing something like Metroid Dread. The raccoon you play as gets some serious horizontal distance on its jump, and movement feels really solid, despite the fact you can't use the direction pad at all. Another key element of exploring the ship and keeping deaths from being too costly is the abundance of unlockable shortcuts. After the opening 15 minutes or so, you'll be scurrying around the ship at a brisk clip.

The boss fights make for a nice change of pace and reward you for being thorough and collecting the firepower upgrades. Losing to a boss doesn't send you back to the trash heap, either; you get to respawn right outside the boss room. In terms of design, it would have been nice to see the enemies have a little more character to them. None of the basic enemies stand out, and some of the bosses are nigh indiscernible. Maybe a rocket-powered raccoon could be taking on some more interesting foes?

Trash Quest employs classic pixel graphics and only a handful of colors in each ship area. There is a spotlight trained on the raccoon at all times that illuminates platforms, which means it sometimes can be a challenge to see what you are actually aiming for when running and jumping. Looking before leaping is essentially a requirement here, to an extent. Musically, the soundtrack reminds me a bit of classic Mega Man with a Sci-fi tinge to it. While the themes loop often, each area of the ship does have a unique one.

Trash Quest is far from a piece of eShop garbage. It's actually a brief but delightful and welcome addition to the Metroidvania stable on Switch. Online leaderboards that track your clear time, among other things, adds a heaping of replay value. Still, it's not much of a challenge to complete the game with a 100 percent rate, so enjoy the experience while it lasts. If you're dumpster diving for a palette cleanser in-between some larger titles this holiday season, do yourself a favor and consider helping a raccoon on its Trash Quest.

Summary

Pros
  • Easy to pick up and play
  • Enjoyable soundtrack
  • Online leaderboards
Cons
  • Enemy design is boring
  • Menus and in-game text can be hard to read
  • Power-ups aren't overly exciting

Share + Bookmark





Switch

Game Profile

Genre Adventure
Developer
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Trash Quest
Release Dec 16, 2021

Related Content

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement