Asteroids: Recharged Switch Review – Asteroids for the New Age

Well, Asteroids is back! The 1979 arcade classic from Atari has now been redone and rebranded as Asteroids: Recharged. This new take on the arcade classic is a fresh coat of paint while still honoring its roots, and it is introducing the game to a new audience in 2021.

So does Asteroids: Recharged hit the gaming world by storm like it did in the old days? Or is this a game that needs to stay in its time capsule? Let’s find out!

What is there to say about Asteroids: Recharged? I mean, this is Asteroids. Seriously. Imagine the original arcade game getting a buffer, better particle effects, and a banging soundtrack, and that is Asteroids: Recharged in a nutshell.

This is basically a better version across the board, but it still plays exactly the same. There are no stages, no tutorials, and definitely no story mode. This is arcade goodness with some Challenges and co-op mixed in.

Did I say co-op? I sure did. Unfortunately, the co-op is local only, but for the price, this is no problem at all. Playing Challenge Mode or the Arcade Mode with a friend is a ton of fun, and it definitely adds a lot of value to a game that is already perfectly fine as a solo experience. There are 30 Challenges to mix things up a bit, and they are great! Most of them test your ability to use certain power-ups while others ask you to survive a certain amount of time or take out X number of asteroids or space ships. It is all good fun and definitely one of the highlights of the game.

On the surface, Asteroids: Recharged is a pretty simple package. The menu is lacking, but that’s okay. This is Asteroids proper for the 21st century, and it is done right. It controls wonderfully, and everything you remember about the original returns in Recharged with just a little extra. And the extra is what makes this even better!

The art style is pretty minimalistic, but that is exactly what you want from a classic Atari title. I love the colors used, and the particle effects upon asteroids or space ships exploding is spectacular! Some of the new power-ups are a blast to use, and seeing how they add more color and spectacle to the screen makes using them even more entertaining.

But the creme de la creme of Asteroids: Recharged is the music. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Before I even started playing, my family walked in to my office and started grooving. We all just looked at each other and smiled big as we all realized that this random arcade remake has put together a phenomenal soundtrack that somehow perfectly fits the experience while also being completely new and fresh. Part of me says you need to buy this game just for the music, and the other part of me agrees.

When all is said and done, this is an arcade experience made for arcade fans, and if you are an Asteroids fan, this is an absolute no-brainer. This is a fantastic upgrade to the Asteroids series, and the addition of co-op and Challenges makes it an even better package.

But honestly, just jamming to the soundtrack while blasting asteroids on repeat is worth the price of admission. I never knew I needed more Asteroids in my life, but here I am, ready to grind and climb the global leaderboards!

Asteroids: Recharged Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review also found on OpenCritic
Publisher: Atari
Developer: AdamVision Studios, SneakyBox
Release Date: December 14th, 2021
Price: $9.99, £7.99, €8,99
Game Size: 371 MB