The Nintendo Switch port of the 1-4 player survival game Oppidum has officially been released, completing the platform lineup after its release on PC, PlayStation and Xbox earlier this year.
Oppidum was created by Spanish indie developer EP Games with a team so diminutive that it only has one developer, though you wouldn’t know that from the scope of the game. It includes over 40 hours of story content and tons of features. The action takes place on the once lovely and magical island of Insule, but now corruption has spread to it and its creatures. And you are a hero who comes to break the curse on the island.
You’ll set up a camp as your sheltered space, and then explore the island’s forests, swamps, and caves, trying to locate the source of the corruption. These areas are full of creatures that you will have to deal with, some of which are still affected by the magic that fills the island.
Combat takes place in real time and you’ll often have to face groups of enemies, so you’ll need to pay attention to the skills of each of them to figure out which one to eliminate first. For example, one enemy may attack you with his shield raised and appear to be the most immediate threat. But this may protect the nearby healer, so you need to avoid the aggressive attacker and take him out first.
Enemies will drop resources, and you can collect others by chopping down trees, jamming your pickaxe into rocks, or opening treasure chests (some of which are locked until the area is cleared of enemies). You will notice that when the tree is cut down, it will be left with a glowing silhouette. This means it will eventually grow back in the same place, powered by the island’s energy. Thanks to the collected materials, you can build buildings, craft tools, upgrade weapons, plant and tend crops, take care of animals and cook meals.
As you wander around the island, you will meet its inhabitants and build relationships with them. They will have novel tasks for you, and if you assist them, they will assist you in return. They will move the story forward and inform you about local customs and traditions, deepening your connection with the world around you. Completing their tasks can result in rewards such as increased health and plans to upgrade your camp and equipment, so it’s worth helping everyone you meet. As you upgrade your equipment, you’ll be able to explore novel areas where you’ll find novel inhabitants to assist, novel mysteries to solve, and novel information to discover.
Meeting your goals can also open up unexpected novel opportunities. For example, when you defeat a boss, it will unlock its altars where you can make offerings to obtain novel upgrades. This includes things like expanding your inventory, increasing your health, increasing the number of items you can put in your stack, and more. This gameplay loop ensures that in Oppidum’s 40+ hours of content, there’s always something novel to discover and novel goals to achieve.
You can do all this solo or with up to three other players at the same time. Cross-play between all platforms is possible, with the option of shared or private play. Shared play allows anyone to invite novel people, no one can be kicked, all players can connect at any time (meaning you don’t need a specific person to be online to play), and if someone leaves the server, their place cannot be used by someone else. A private game is created by one person and only that person has the right to invite or kick other players. Joining the game is also only possible when the creator is online, but if someone leaves the server or gets kicked, another player can replace them.
Gameplay is also fully customizable, including difficulty level and gameplay options. The difficulty level can be varied with many different presets to tailor it to exactly what you’re looking for. If you just want a stress-free experience where you gather resources and expand your camp without exposing yourself to any real danger, you can turn on the Calm option, which prevents you from dying. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a bigger challenge, you can activate Hardcore Mode, which makes enemies much tougher and survival mechanics sharper.
If you want to delve into more detailed gameplay options, you can do so. You can change things like enemy aggro range and in-game day duration. Accessibility options are also available, such as disabling the need to hold down buttons, adjusting durability settings for tools and gear (which includes completely disabling the durability system), simplifying fishing, and several others. The wide range of options earned Oppidum the award for best accessibility at Spain’s Iris Games Awards, so needless to say, this is one of the game’s strongest features.
The launch of Oppidum on Nintendo Switch also includes the recently released patch 1.2.0, which added many novel features and content. The main additions are two novel mini-games. Beach Pong is exactly what it sounds like. You can play against a friend or benny, the island’s native creatures. In Battle Arena, you can earn rewards by fending off waves of enemies. You can play cooperatively with up to four players or compete against each other in PvP.
The patch also added a novel tip telling you when to parry an enemy, a “snap to grid” option when building a building, a novel pause feature, and more. Full notes on the patch and everything it added can be found here EP Games official website. For the latest news and updates, you can follow the game on the website X/Twitter Or Blue.
