Modern Combat Blackout Review

Gameloft has made a bold step bringing a traditionally iOS franchise over to the Nintendo Switch, and while Modern Combat Blackout is a port of a mobile title – which is both visually and mechanically noticeable – there is still something fun and engaging about the game that kept me coming back for more. Is the most visually appealing game? Is this the best first person shooter on Nintendo Switch? The answer to both these questions is a resounding no, but I still liked it! Let’s dive in!

Visually and in the Controls, a Mobile Game

As Modern Combat Blackout is a port of an iOS experience, and as it appears not a lot of work went into bringing this over to the Nintendo Switch, a lot of things that work well on the phone just don’t transition over to the Switch. Most notably will be the graphics, which look like (at times) they came straight out of your local arcade. Nothing horribly ugly, but nothing that will catch your eye either.

Add that to some sluggish controls, and you’ll quickly release you are not playing a game originally intended for the Nintendo Switch. This is Gameloft’s first foray into Switch publishing, so I’ll give them some leeway as they work through the kinks of bringing mobile experiences to console, complete with controller integration and more.

So yes, the game is incredibly rough around the edges, but it’s the fun factor that keeps me coming back for more.

Bite Sized Chunks

The biggest draw for me is how quickly I can get into, and out of, a mission experience. Just like when you play a bonus round slot game, with each only lasting a few minutes from start to finish, it is easy to quickly jump into a 20 minutes session of Modern Combat Blackout, and then hop back out when your playing time expires. As the Nintendo Switch begs to be taken on the road, having these quick, arcade like experiences is phenomenal, and much appreciated.

And with a decent selection of missions to complete, it’s not like you’ll be done with the game in a couple hours either. And for 19.99, players will be excepting a bit more in terms of content.

And multifamily, you are getting some bang for your buck here. The game on Switch has been fully customized for controllers, and even provides additional controller cusomization within the menus. Gyro controls while aiming down the guns is also appreciated.

Why This Release Matters

The most important thing about the release of Modern Combat Blackout is not the game itself, but the ability for big mobile developers like Gameloft to bring their titles over to another device. And Gameloft handles a number of high quality titles, including mobile racer Ashphalt and Disney Magic Kingdoms. Could we see these on Nintendo Switch next?

We give Modern Combat Blackout a 7.0/10!