This is a title I absolutely knew would be for me, that I waited patiently to play on the Switch 2, since conceptually it was a perfect match. Given that I love super heroes, whether in the more noble direction of the likes of DC and Marvel, or the more morally-challenged worlds of Invincible or The Boys, I was on board from the get-go. But then mixing in an ability to play a part in determining the path of events in the tradition of classic Telltale titles, and working in segments as a dispatcher, trying to both protect the city and reform a team of misfit former villains? In many ways, I was already won over before even playing. But now, having finished the final product specifically on the Nintendo’s handheld, for the moment I do have some notes.

For those unfamiliar, the elevator pitch would be that you’re playing in a world not so unlike the series Invincible, animated beautifully and voice acted at a level that would rival any theatrical or streaming series out there. If they were to adapt this into a series on some service, I would watch it all without hesitation. The characters, how they interact, and how they evolve over the course of the game’s 8 episodes are incredibly authentic and compelling. It doesn’t take very long to start caring about them all, not limited to your potential love interests, but extending to pretty well everyone, including a few who’d gladly kill you if given a chance. The misfit bunch you’re trying to manage makes for quite a bit of chaos, and some tough decisions that will have consequences, but when they start coming together it’s as satisfying as any movie or show you’d watch, many of which struggle to do it all as well as this game.

That said, there’s absolutely room for improvement. I applaud the level of choices you are able to make, and there are a number of carried consequences that those will have, but while repeated run-throughs can be fun, they do show some seams in spots. Where the gameplay doesn’t quite mesh as well with the overall experience though is when you’re playing the role of dispatcher, trying to manage the city’s crime hot spots by sending out your team of would-be heroes, solo or teamed up, and trying to do your best. Once you begin to understand the system, and hit upon who tends to mesh well together, it does work better, but honestly outside of the game’s ultimate outcome not being as positive you can really fail your way through, so it feels like an area that could use some more work to feel more central to the story, rather than generally being peripheral. 

My biggest qualms though are with the Nintendo-specific versions of the game which have been aggressively censored with black bars to cover any nudity or explicit material. Given the fact that this is still an M-rated game with plenty of profanity and violence, the fact that this can’t be disabled is simply unnecessary and unacceptable in this modern era of gaming. Honestly, assuming that the majority of people interested in this game have seen The Boys, and some other shows, most of the content being blocked is actually quite tame, making the move all the more mind-boggling. Infantilizing people who happen to be playing on the Switch is insulting, and given the number of more offensive and outright weird titles I’ve played on the system, it’s also an utterly pointless thing to have done. I would hope that given the blowback on this specific issue that they at least implement a setting to turn it off or on (as they did with profanity), because while I truly believe this is a top-tier brilliant gaming experience, I would recommend playing it on any other system where you aren’t having anyone gatekeeping what you’re allowed to see.