Tricky Towers review - "Better played with friends"

One of the Switch's main draws, besides its incredible portability, is its catalogue of multiplayer and cooperative games. Tricky Towers is another co-op game perfect for parties, social gatherings, or just having a chilled night in.

While I can't take responsibility for how angry you might get at your pals when playing this, I can say it's a riot, accessible, and easy to pick up and play. It's not without its fault, of course, but it's not something to deter you outright.

In Tricky Towers you have to manage falling blocks (à la Tetris) through a series of challenges. You might need to build up your tower the quickest and race to the finish line, try to figure out how to fit as many blocks in a space as possible, or try to place blocks without letting any fall.

That doesn't sound very challenging, right? Well, it wouldn't be if physics weren't involved. Each block has a specific weight to it and if you place something wrong or make the side of your tower too heavy, you might well watch it all come tumbling down.

The game does throw you a bone as power-ups become available through each milestone. If you've chosen normal difficulty or higher, you get the choice to aid yourself or to hinder your competitors. These range from sturdy vines and immovable concrete blocks to slippery ice and scatty placements.

If you choose to play on hard you're subject to some violent weather as well, battling through less than ideal conditions to come out on top.

Its adorable aesthetic, bright colours, and excellent audio make it easy to sit and play for a little while. You can choose what wizard and block style you want to use, but it's purely aesthetic and doesn't affect general play.

Though it's a fun game in multiplayer, its single player mode is where it starts to struggle. Unless you've got the innate desire to challenge and best yourself, you quickly miss the company of an intelligent foe to keep you on your toes.

As there are only a few game types there is the potential to grow weary of playing the same thing over and over again, especially if you're playing with a sore loser. It's one of those games that's as much about the company you play with as it is the game itself.

For the asking price though, it's hard not to recommend this if you've got a few pals or family members around. Like that Saturday night game of Monopoly, it's all good fun so long as someone doesn't flip the board.

The controls are easy to understand, the game is simple enough to get in and play straight away, and its matches are short and snappy enough not to overstay their welcome. Just don't expect too much from it.