Double Switch (video game)

Double Switch is an adventure interactive movie video game released for Sega CD, Sega Saturn and PC. The game was produced by Digital Pictures and had a similar "trap-em-up" format to Space Panic, Heiankyo Alien, and their earlier game, Night Trap.

Storyline

The game takes place in a large and old ancient Egyptian themed apartment complex called the Edward Arms. A young man named Eddie has been locked in the basement, and needs your help to get him out. Each member of the building has their own plot line that overlaps into the main plot line. In the first level you have to quickly move from the various cameras Eddie has placed throughout the building in order to trap the various Mafia hit men and secret society assassins wandering around the building. You also have to get the security codes to free Eddie that the mobsters will preview at certain points during the game. At various points in the game, Eddie will berate you if you fail to get the codes or capture a certain number of mafia men, eventually resulting in an automatic game over if he warns you too many times. In the subsequent levels you learn that the Mafia hit men and secret society assassins are trying to locate a valuable Egyptian artifact, and that they are willing to do anything it takes, even kill the various other tenants in the building to get what they want. Around this time a mummy will appear and attempt to steal the statue, and you must rely on the handyman to activate hidden alcove traps to stop the mummy. If done correctly, the mummy is revealed to be Eddie himself and the game then moves to act 3 where you must protect the tenants from Eddie's rampage. If done correctly, the player will receive the best ending, in which the statue is revealed to be a key to opening a giant treasury within the complex itself. Afterwards, someone (presumably Eddie) takes the statue out of the lock to the treasury, resealing it. What ultimately happens after that is unknown as the screen then fades to black and the credits roll.

Development

The Windows, Sega Saturn, and Mac editions were released later with enhanced video quality and Eddie's references to the Sega Genesis controller removed, though a TV in the game shows a screenshot from the Sega CD version no matter what version is being played.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score EGM 6/10 (SCD)[1] Next Generation (SAT)[2]

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Sega CD version a 6 out of 10, describing it as "like Night Trap, [but] a little more involving".^[1] Manny LaMancha of GamePro praised the full-motion video quality and Thomas Dolby's music for the game, and said that "Double Switch is good enough that it'll sit in your CD tray until you're done – and you'll be glad you stuck it through the end."^[3]

Reviewing the Saturn version, a Next Generation critic felt that Double Switch holds up fairly well as a movie, with high production values, decent acting, and "top-notch" sets, but not as a game. He particularly noted the awkward interface and the repetitiveness of having to rewatch the same video segments over and over while using trial and error to figure out the correct course of actions. He also said that the poor video quality would have been acceptable on the Sega CD, but not on the Saturn.^[2] While Electronic Gaming Monthly never published an official review of the Saturn version, their preview based on a 90% complete beta was written in the manner of a review. They agreed that the graphics, while an improvement over the Sega CD version, are not up to Saturn standards, and also criticized the "highly confusing" gameplay. They concluded, "Players who are expecting a revamped version of Night Trap are sadly mistaken. This title boasts nothing more than a fallen star thrown in with other B-actors that have as much of a future as this title."^[4]

References

External links

• Double Switch at MobyGames