The Prinny Games are on Nintendo Switch, dood!

A few years ago, NIS America released the Prinny games for the PlayStation Portable (remember that system?). They took a break from all the hardcore RPG elements to present some challenging – yet somewhat comical – platforming with the penguins from hell. And they were a modest hit, leaving us wondering why they didn’t get ported to another console.
Well, we’re happy to report that they’ve finally come to Nintendo Switch. Prinny 1 and 2:
Exploded and Reloaded celebrates the two-game legacy in style, keeping all its difficult platforming and all-out silliness intact. If offbeat games are your thing, then you’ll want to dig into this collection right away.

Who Stole Her Panties, Dood?
So if you’re familiar with NIS’ games, then you’ll know who Master Etna is. She’s a vile woman that has no trouble punishing her Prinny followers. In fact, across both games, you’ll be hunting down both the dessert that was stolen from her and… her panties? Yeah, someone just went and snagged her undergarments, dood. Not cool.
The game gives you the option to turn on 1,000 lives. At first, you might think, “I don’t really need that many.” But you don’t know the platforming challenges that the Prinny games
provide. You’ll have to overcome enemies, make precision jumps and take on bosses using these somewhat average creatures. They do have some cool abilities, like being able to slash sword strikes in the air, but the gameplay is far from perfect.
Jumping, for example, has its difficulties, particularly when it comes to landing with precision on the second jump. Still, once you get the hang of it, you’ll appreciate how easy it is to grasp the gameplay. And it’ll come in handy as you get into boss battles and start recognizing those old- school patterns.
The only real downside here is that both games play about the same. Prinny 2 (Dawn of Operation Panties Dood – that’s the official name) does have some new perks to it, but overall you’ll see very few differences. Still, NIS has done a great job keeping everything dialed in from the original PSP games. And that’s what counts, dood.

A Swell Looking Package
Considering that the games came out a few years ago, Prinny 1 and 2 may look somewhat ancient compared to more current platformers like Dead Cells and the recently released Foregone. But don’t sweat it too much, as they channel a certain kind of energy that gets you in a retro frame of mind.
The old-school sprites still look outstanding, whether you’re playing on the big-screen or enjoying your Prinny games on the go. And the level design is excellent as well, with a lot of variety and different locales to visit. The secondary characters and villains are great as well, even if some are easier to defeat than others.
I was also a big fan of the audio. The music captures that Disgaea energy that previous games had, while also striking out some originality all their own. And the voicework is hilarious, particularly when Master Etna growls out commands to her followers. Those poor, poor prinnies. (Ah, who am I kidding? They’re in hell for a reason, right?)

You Can Add Them, Dood
While the Prinny games are more of an acquired taste when it comes to platformers, they’re a good time nevertheless. The challenge may take a little bit to overcome at first, but the gameplay is fun to get a hold of. And the presentation is sharp, reminding us of the greatness of the PSP games while feeling right at home on the Switch.
Kudos to NIS for giving us this piece of old-school goodness. Now, about a Prinny 3, dood…