Residual Review (Nintendo Switch)

by Jim Smale · September 21, 2021

Our Residual Review takes us to a forgotten galaxy full of strange planets, we crash-landed on one with the ancient mystery. Craft tools and mining devices. Hostile biological life, and more stand between the voyager and survival. You’ll have your snarky and occasionally helpful Personal Disaster Bot with you the entire way.

Residual Review Pros:

Decent pixel art graphics.
305MB download size.
Survival adventure gameplay.
Game settings – use Fahrenheit or Celsius, auto pick up transporter, force 24 hour days, permadeath, auto-hide missions, screen shake intensity slider, and in-game time speed slider.
Five save slots.
Basic tutorial help.
Codex shows any collected lore and items.
Full stats and completion percentages.
2D viewpoint.
Scanner for getting info on items, materials, and creatures.
Save when you want.
Missions are to help move the story along.
Sleep to advance time and regain stamina, health, and hunger levels.
Uses full stamina, health, and hunger system.
Day/night cycle.
Transporters can be placed anywhere and act as fast travel between them.
You have a base that you use to craft.
Radar will show what you have explored and you can have it show particular materials and their locations.
Huge emphasis on scraping together materials and crafting.
An absolute time sink.
Craft new tools like axes and mining components.
Cutesy animations.

Residual Review Cons:

The tutorial is so minimal it’s almost nonexistent.
Slow burner.
The controls are awkward and use a really obnoxious ledge grab mechanic that frustrates more than it helps.
It’s not that user-friendly for missions and crafting menus.
The food and stamina system feels like an additional annoyance than adding to the experience.