Review: Klaus Lee – Thunderballs (Nintendo Switch)

Wannabe action hero Klaus Lee never stood a chance. Maybe it’s the way his name belied his origins. Maybe it’s that his seedy, ’70s vibe just didn’t gel in Reagan’s “Just Say No” ’80s. Maybe it’s because his eyeball lasers were only effective at up to six feet. Regardless, gamers can finally experience his platforming adventures in Klaus Lee – Thunderballs.

Said adventures involve working your way through over 100 platforming levels. Gameplay is a classic mixture of puzzle solving, precision timing, and careful execution as Klaus navigates through monster-infested caverns.

We’re not exactly told why he’s doing this. Maybe it has something to do with an electrical bolt warping him into his TV? It’s never really made clear. But there are people to save, so let’s get to it.

Klaus has a few different tools at his disposal as he navigates his way through over 100 levels of underground action. First and foremost is his jetpack. It’s much handier than, say, a double jump, but it can run out of gas. I wasn’t aware of this initially, and ended up running out and having to restart the level. You’re generally provided with enough to complete each level, but don’t be wasteful.

The jetpack is used not only to reach higher platforms, but also to descend safely and to cross dangerous chasms. It’s also helpful for lining up shots with Klaus’ laser eyes. Enemies can be dispatched with this power, but the lasers have a limited range. So, Klaus will have to get close and line up his shots to be effective. Thankfully, the controls are laid out in a manner that aids precision: A for your jetpack, ZR for lasers. Finally, Klaus will get limited access to dynamite (ZL) that can be used to blast open new pathways and eliminate enemies.

Those enemies become more numerous and effective as you progress, of course, but the real interference is run by the levels themselves. As with any good chasm, it seems to have been designed specifically to prevent people from using it. For example, numerous color-coded lasers block Klaus’ path, and it’s up to you to disarm or bypass them.

Most of the puzzles are pretty easy to figure out, but the combination of enemies will make it quite difficult to flip the proper switches, as it were. It wasn’t the set traps that often led to Klaus’ demise as I played through, but rather the creatures the traps guided me into. Getting encased by a spider or having your head swallowed by a snake is a good way to go, sure, but it’s best to clear out such enemies before attempting the trickier puzzles and navigation segments.

It begs the question, though, of whether this can be entertaining across 100+ levels. Each is its own puzzle, after all. Although levels involve multiple screens, there’s no backtracking à la Castlevania, you just clear a stage and move on. You can replay levels to try to beat your previous time and get better medals, but I never felt the incentive to do so. Honestly, I don’t think the gold medals are even humanly possible.

More intriguing is the built-in level editor. It’s fairly simple to use (and begs for Switch 2 mouse control support), but I have no skill for platforming level design and wasn’t able to develop anything I thought would be fun for others. Such tools are better utilized on a PC, anyway.

Thankfully, there’s already a decent amount of rated, user-generated content to download and try out.

But you may not even need it, as the provided levels are plenteous and will keep platforming fans engaged for quite some time. They’re frustrating in all the proper ways, and finally working through a particularly bothersome challenge is rewarding. As with most games of this type, it’s easy to get caught up in the “one more level” trap, so the developers have obviously done something right.

I also quite enjoyed the game’s visuals, which are retro without being retro. They look the part of an ’80s remaster, even though this is a new game.

The audio is pretty good, too, with appropriately energetic music and comical audio effects. Is Klaus listening to Vickie Sue Robinson in the intro?

It all combines to create a fun, nostalgic experience that’s worth the asking price. The game’s likely not enough to lift Klaus Lee into the pantheon of action heroes he wants to join, but if he and Barry Steakfries were to team up, I’d pay to watch/play that.