As a big fan of in-game violence, whether in the form of classic beat-em-ups or intense hack-and-slash action, I’ll admit that the Switch has been a little on the lean side overall in its offerings. There are certainly some great options out there, but on the whole they have felt a bit slower coming than I’d prefer, and not always at a sufficient level of quality to be worth people’s time. For every heavy hitter the likes of the amazing Hades or Streets of Rage 4, there seem to be 2 - 3 that are middling at best, so the scene has been a bit on the uneven side overall.

Looking to make a splash we now have Gori: Cuddly Carnage, which gleefully lives up to its name, delivering loads of bloody chunks of flesh, some laughs, and periodic sections for you to explore and shred with your hoverboard. Your goal is to try to survive taking on the aptly-named Adorable Army, a line-up of corrupted kids toys who have set their sights on wiping out humanity. To stop them you’ll need to use your wits, an ever-expanding set of special moves and weapons, and on occasion a bit of patience as you try to mix technique with at least a little bit of planning, as you cut your way through your varied enemies.

One element that has always been a bit true for this title though, even going back to the first few times I’d played it at PAX, is that visually its style is a bit of a mess… and that was even true on PC. Unfortunately, though perhaps predictably, the move to the Switch has done it no favors, sometimes opening the door to frame rate drops or visuals that can approach a bit of a soupy mess. It generally remains playable, thankfully, and you can get through the hiccups well enough to generally have fun, but it can absolutely be a bumpy ride at times. All that said, if you’re really down for the carnage of it all, don’t mind the game’s story being a bit thin, and can laugh along with the game’s sometimes lowbrow sense of humor more than being put off by it, you may still have a good time.