Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers – Switch preview
Right on time…
Welcome to the SwitchedOn preview of Destiny Connect, Tick-Tock Travelers on the Nintendo Switch. This game is a JRPG set in the fictional town of Clocknee at the turn of the new millennium As the year ticks over from 1999 to 2000, we pick the story up on New Years Eve and play as 9 year old Sherry as she waits with her mum for her Dad to come home from 6 months away working. Tired of waiting, the pair head out to join the celebrations in the town when a strange incident occurs.
It’s then left to Sherry and Isaac – a robot her father has built that she discovers in a hidden room of her house – to figure out what is going on, find her mum and restore order to the world.
The first thing that you will notice is the colourful, though slightly dated looking graphical feel. It reminded me of early 3D Final Fantasy games and the look is coupled with a slightly floaty running animation which again makes the game feel mechanically older than it is. Once you get used to both of these things though, a certain charm definitely comes shining through.
The music on the other hand is mostly excellent and the score frequently changes to match the current gameplay state and suits the game very well.
Overall the presentation is very good, with smooth responsive controls, easy to use menus and just a nice polish that feels very NIS – although short loading screens are frequent and whilst not game breaking, do interrupt the flow of things a little. There is also no voice acting which is a bit disappointing, but again not too unusual for a smaller title from Nippon Ichi, more famous for their Disgaea series.
All of the usual JRPG standards are present here, from exploring the town and making small talk with the townsfolk, collecting items, levelling and XP systems and traditional turn based combat.
Combat is party based and usually involves Sherry and her friend Pegreo -(who you can switch between at any time) and Isaac taking on machines that have mysteriously come to life, everything from televisions to irons and hairdryers. As the game goes on, Isaac gets the ability to change forms, which basically represent different classes in terms of traditional JRPGs, so that will be very interesting to see how that plays out.
The story also encorporates sepia tinged flashbacks and the full story will take you through the past, present and future as you fight to restore Clocknee to normality.
My short time with Destiny Connect so far is very good and I look forward to bringing you more information on this one as soon as I can.
Coming straight off of reviewing Little Town Hero, this feels like a very familiar set up – child protagonist investigating a mystery in a small town, but already I’m finding it better on almost every level.
Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers is out on October 22nd on the eShop (retail version will also be available). The game will cost £34.99 and $39.99.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for some gameplay and more thoughts over the next few days.