Rotating Brave from Cosen is a simple, but painfully addictive arcade title. While it’s available on Switch, it’s also been released for Android and that’s where it’s more at home. However, it still works incredibly well on Switch and is a game that will both challenge and entertain you.
Basically, Rotating Brave sees players alternately holding the Switch vertically and horizontally while guiding a pixel-art character.
In the vertical sections, you use the right Joy-Con in its horizontal alignment and in the horizontal sections you hold the Switch and use both Joy-Cons normally. Rotating Brave isn’t playable in TV mode because it’s gimmick means you need to be rotating the Switch every few minutes.
Rotating Brave Review
Your little pixel-art character looks a bit like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, except that he wields two swords. He can jump, do somersaults and use special abilities. Whether he’s falling down the vertical shaft or moving left to right along the horizontal sections, your character will need to defeat a huge number of enemies in your way.
They’re not hard to kill, but there are so many of them, that avoiding them when your abilities are on cooldown becomes hugely important to your success. At the top of the screen is a counter that will count down as you use your spinning attack. When it reaches zero, you’re unable to spin until it refills.
Without being able to spin, you are super vulnerable to the enemies around you. Especially in the vertical drops. There are platforms to stop on, but in the vertical sections, you really don’t have much of a chance to slow down and catch your breath. You can stop momentarily in the horizontal sections, but in Rotating Brave progress is all about moving forward.
Spinny Spinny
When you defeat enemies with your spin attack, they drop crystals. These crystals are collected and can be spent in the shops hidden throughout the levels. Killing enemies also gradually fill up your ability bar.
When it’s full, you can activate a special ability, such as a deadly projectile, and wipe out a bunch of enemies in front of, or below you.
There are a bunch of different abilities you can unlock and use. It’s up to you to find one you like and that suits your playstyle and run with it. The shops you find allow you to purchase powerups and buff that can help you get farther or can be saved for your next run to give you a bit of a headstart the next time you try.
Try, Try Again
The key to Rotating Brave is timing and rhythm. You need to manage your spin attacks, special abilities and location to make sure you avoid enemies when you need to and kill them when you can. Eventually, you’ll come up against massive bosses which are very tough to beat and you will likely die a lot.
That’s ok though. Dying in Rotating Brave is all part and parcel. As you play and progress, you earn more powerups and grow stronger. You can use your spin attack more before it runs out and it refills more quickly.
Rotating Brave comes from the same school as Super Meat Boy in that you try, you die and you try again right away.
Great in Short Bursts
Levels in Rotating Brave aren’t always the same, thanks to enemies moving around, but you do get a gradual handle on them and can get through them more quickly and without taking as much damage.
Rotating Brave is a great, addictive action game for Switch and it’s certainly priced to sell.
I had a lot of fun with it and still fire it up for a few runs every now and again. If you’re looking for a tough, addictive, “just one more go” type of game, then Rotating Brave might be for you.
Rotating Brave was reviewed on Switch using a digital code provided by Cosen.
PowerUp! Reviews
Game Title: Rotating Brave
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Fast paced and addictive - 8.2/108.2/10
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Difficult, but fair - 8/108/10
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Great Artwork - 9/109/10
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The main gimmick is a bit odd on Switch - 6/106/10
