Spidersaursis new to consoles, but it has technically been out for a while now. The game launched in an early build in 2019 for the Apple Arcade program. Since then, it has received patches and updates, making the console version a definitive way to experience the game.
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The developer,WayForward, is no stranger to run-and-gun games like this. They also worked onContra 4for the DS, and a lot of their DNA from that game can be seen inSpidersaursfor better or worse. Reviews have been all over the place for it, so let’s try and figure out what this game does and doesn’t do well.
8Best: Classic Contra Co-Op
There’s nothing better than couch co-opin a run-and-gun game like this. The single-player and co-op modes are separated in the main menu. However, players can use the same profile, so they don’t need to worry about setting up two distinct saves. It’s not as easy as drop-in, drop-out co-op, but what is here works. The higher the difficulty, the better time co-op will be as players will have to strongly rely on their ally, thus creating a more strategic style of gameplay.
7Worst: Only Two Characters
There are two downsides to the co-op in this game. First, while couch co-op is nice, being able to play online would have been good, too, as an extra option. These are still hard times when some people are unable to go out and meet up with friends and family.
The other bad side to co-op is the two playable characters of Victoria and Adrian. They may look different, but their play styles are 99% the same. Making them different, as well as adding in more varied characters, would have given even more depth to the gameplay.
6Best: The Art
The art style is the most striking thing aboutSpidersaurs. It’s not cel-shaded like a lot of other cartoon or anime-influenced games. This is like a 2D cartoon being animated for a gameplay format.
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The visuals are not as jaw-dropping as something likeCuphead, which also went for acartoon-like style. Few games can ever hope to live up toCuphead’svisuals. Still, as an indie run-and-gun shooter, this game looks great, especially on the OLED version of the Switch.
5Worst: Not As Good Animations
The art style may screamSaturday Morning Cartoonto players, but there is one drawback. The animations between the two hero characters and the enemies are not as well-defined.
Character and enemy movement can sometimes look like they are being controlled like puppets on strings. It doesn’t makeSpidersaurslook bad by any stretch. With such fine art, though, it does throw the game off a bit. Similarly, controls, as far as platforming is concerned, could be a little tighter as well.
4Best: The Concept
The concept of this game is wild, again, as if it were developed to be a cartoon in the 80s. A global company brought dinosaurs back by splicing their DNA with spiders instead of amphibians, like frogs, as they did in theJurassic Parkfilms.
They were not bred for observation in a park, though. Dinosaurs were instead created as a new food source. Something went wrong in the genetic coding, and now these hybrids are out of control. It’s a wild idea for a game withsome funny dialoguewhich is helped along by the good voice cast.
3Worst: Not Much For Extras
Players will only be able to play through the campaign at first.Spidersaursis short, which might be one check against it as some players prefer their games to be extra meaty.A speedrun modesnd an arcade mode are then unlocked upon completion, but that’s it.
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Spidersaurscould have used more modes or extras in the menu. A boss rush mode is always appreciated. Online co-op, as mentioned earlier, could have done something. Some art galleries would have also been appreciated. It’s a good game but in a light package.
2Best: Boss Battles
Even though the game is lacking extras like a boss rush mode, the boss fights alone are one ofSpidersaurs’ specialties. What makes agood boss battlein a game is the scale.
Most bosses in this game take up the screen and have decent strategies for the fights. It goes beyond shooting them nonsensically, although that is how most boil down in the end. Some of the best ones involve enemies going through several phases, like a robot inside a volcano creating platforms as players fall through the air.
1Best: The Intro
The art style was already praised enough, but the intro cartoon deserves a separate line of applause. What makes it great is the song that goes with it. Players could be fooled into thinking they popped in an old VHS tape of acartoon from the 80s. How that would work on the Switch would be odd, but the colorful analogy still stands.
The song might immediately have players log in to Spotify to add it to their list. It is an all-time banger of a cartoon theme, sitting next to some of the greats from the Disney Afternoon series.
Spidersaurswas re-released on July 02, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. It is also available on Apple Arcade.
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