Intrepid Izzy is a platformer for Nintendo Switch. No, not another platformer, you say? Stop jumping to conclusions. Intrepid Izzy was developed by Roel van Mastbergen’s one-man team. It started as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 and quickly made its way to consoles, with this Switch version being the latest addition.
Sure, there are quite a few platformers out there, but regular Pure Nintendo readers will know it’s my favorite genre. This means that we are always excited to try new entries while maintaining our high standards. .
There isn’t enough story to drag down the gameplay. The heroine Izzy runs into an evil genie before falling down a pit. Her adventures begin soon, as she now explores different worlds in search of evil entities that threaten her world.
Levels range from underground mines to haunted forests. There is also a cloud area and a frozen area (called the East Pole) to keep things fresh. The environments are beautiful and full of colors that pop out of the screen. It’s clear that Roel has taken great care in crafting his Izzy world. Aesthetically, it’s a hand-drawn sprite full of character, reminiscent of the adventures of Shantae (and I’m a big fan of that series).
Another clear comparison to Shantae is Izzy’s set of power-granting outfits. There are tons of fun variations to collect, including miner costumes, squirrel onesies, and ninja costumes. However, changing costumes is a bit of a hassle. You have to go to your house (located in a base called Awesometown) to change clothes. The feature is a bit cumbersome and I prefer to change it on the fly via a button or menu selection.
Enemies change throughout the game and can take down all kinds of monsters. Boss battles are another highlight, with some tricky encounters.The sword-wielding skeletons and sea monsters were particularly satisfying to conquer. You may also be locked in a room until you defeat a series of common enemies. These are fun most of the time, but they get a little boring when you’re backtracking through an area.
This is actually my main complaint with the Intrepid Izzy. Sometimes I wasn’t sure how I would progress. This led to moments of frustration as we backtracked through our previous territory. I finally found my way, but the way could be clearer.
Collect coins and gems along the way. Coins are used to buy life-giving items in the store and to play arcade games in Awesometown. These mini-games provide a fun distraction from the main quest, and short time-outs to try and beat your high score.
Gems, on the other hand, give Izzy special powers. These purple collectibles fill a meter that depletes when using Izzy’s abilities. Movesets vary by costume, such as balls of energy, gusts of wind, and even transformative powers.
There are very few minor interface issues that can be fixed. The in-game menu has a useful map that is not very user-friendly. You can scroll by pressing the A button first. This is neither obvious nor intuitive. I just discovered it by accident. I also can’t press B to escape the menu, which is a fairly standard feature. Don’t worry if the main menu doesn’t have this feature either, but it’s there. Unfortunately, this creates an inconsistent user interface.
All in all, Intrepid Izzy is an obvious love affair from one developer. It looks good and works well, but it has some minor imperfections that make it less than perfect. If you like Shanti’s adventures, this is a great homage to that series.
