Code of Princess EX

Code of Princess EX really doesn’t take itself seriously, but you should. Though not all of the 50+ characters are worth maxing out, the eight heroes of the campaign and the unlockable bosses are an absolute joy to play, learn, and master. With so many modes and so many quests, this is yet another quality Switch title ready to suck up dozens of hours of your life.

While lacking in some areas, Code of Princess EX is a solid enhanced port that keeps all of the goofy charm and adds some performance improvements to the final package. This is one adventure beat-em-up fans should look at if they want a solid and humorous experience.

Code of Princess is a fun and funny fantasy brawler that's unfortunately hampered by technical issues.

It seems like everything is being ported to the Switch. Now that this strange 2012 3DS action RPG beat 'em up is available for the console, take off a few layers of clothes and let's see how it holds up.

Local and online multiplayer facilitates co-operative as well as competitive play (where you can use any of the 40-odd enemy characters you've encountered in the storyline, in another nod to Guardian Heroes), but even this soon after the UK launch, I was unable to find any other players. A mild disappointment that matches feelings about Code of Princess as a whole. It appears to have most of the constituent parts that made Treasure's 1996 title (now available on Xbox Live Arcade) so joyous, but problems in structure and detail spoil the whole. It's a tribute act: one that initially delights th...

Hack n’ slash games occupy a weird space in between several other, more modern genres. You have fighting game style action mixed in with a more traditional narrative structure and a long history of RPG elements. Code of Princess EX occupies this same weird space a bit more brazenly, even going so far as to retain the old side-scrolling perspective. It’s a mashup of multiple ideas that’s made all the more ambitious with an extensive amount of characters, items and voice acting. Unfortunately all of these disparate components don’t quite come together the way you hope they would.

Code of Princess EX just doesn’t seem to scratch that itch for the beat ’em up style that I grew up with. Despite the story being engaging and the characters being wonderfully colorful, the stale and disengaging gameplay just brings it down so far. This makes me sad because Code of Princess EX could have been a proper remaster instead of a port with enhanced graphics. Consider the boat fully missed.

Code of Princess EX might itch your craving for a Japanese-style beat em' up: if you missed the game when it released on Nintendo 3DS, it's not super expensive and might be worth a try. I don't think everyone is going to enjoy this game though; I certainly had a lot of on and off moments with it. In the end, Code of Princess needs to do a lot more if it hopes to have any staying power in the future. I will say, though, that I'm somewhat excited to see some of the characters reappear in Blade Strangers when it releases next month.

If Code of Princess EX‘s combat was just a little bit better, it’d be quite a solid game. I actually like the idea of an RPG without the exploration bits, but such a game desperately needs to place more emphasis on engaging and enjoyable combat, which here, is severely lacking. There’s no doubt some fun to be had if you plan on playing Code of Princess EX in short bursts, but most Switch owners would be better off looking elsewhere for their action-RPG thrills.