Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys Switch Review – Not Quite Fall Guys

My friend randomly pointed out Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys on the Nintendo Switch eShop, and my mind immediately went to, “Oh, well, talk about a game taking advantage of the recent release of Fall Guys on Switch, huh?” They sure did. I saw the release discount brought it to $2 USD, so I figured, “Why not? It’s been a while since I paid for a game to review.”

So is Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys the not-so-free alternative to Fall Guys that your body has been begging for? I mean, it has to be, right? RIGHT?!

Right off the bat, Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys has a large selection of costumed clumsy clumsy hippos to choose from, and they are all fun and well designed. There is no customization, so you simply pick the hippo best for you and move on to the gameplay.

Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys does not boast a whole lot, as there is no online mode and no AI to insert for a more entertaining single player experience. That means that this is strictly a local party game for up to 4 players which does not bode well for those looking for something silly and fun to play by themselves. Technically, you can play Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys by yourself, but it is literally racing against no one, meaning you will always be the winner whether you are going as fast as you can or taking your sweet time.

The local multiplayer is actually some good fun, though, as up to 4 players can compete for the crown as they make their way to the finish line, and the controls are rather simple. You move around with the left joystick, and you dash with B (Keep in mind that pressing B while possessing the crown will result in dropping it). There is also an emoji button (X), but if you are playing locally, it seems kind of unnecessary. Despite, the frantic racing and attempting to take control of the crown is a solid mechanic that does create a potentially riotous time.

As you play, you will unlock new game modes, and there are 24 in total, counting Random. This does keep things a bit varied as you play, but most of the time, the new game modes are just ever-so-slightly different versions of previous ones. However, I will say that some of the later unlocks are quite fun!

Movement and gameplay are a bit clunky, but I guess that is all part of the concept, as these are clumsy clumsy hippos in Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys. Stages, however, get repetitive very quickly, and you will notice patterns the more you play. Even though the stages are “random”, there aren’t enough sections and traps to keep things feeling fresh after only 20 minutes, as you will inevitably find repeated sections and even identical stages before you know it.

The game actually looks quite nice, as the overall design and cute characters are aesthetically pleasing. I especially love the wide use of colors that makes everything on screen pop while playing. However, the music is grating, and the longer you play, the more it becomes an ear worm that you desperately want to get out. Thankfully, the music can be turned off in the settings, but then you just have a relatively quiet game which is awkward to play.

Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys is a fairly priced local party game that clearly borrows its ideas from Fall Guys. Considering that Fall Guys on the Switch is free-to-play, this release almost feels like it is just trying to take advantage of the online multiplayer’s momentum. Sadly, though, Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys does not give enough reason to really want to play, as there is no competitive single player options and gameplay gets rather stale quite quickly.

I mean, if you have a couple bucks to spare when this goes on sale (Currently is one sale), I’d say go ahead and check it out. It may be a fun laugh for the kids or a silly outing with friends, but as a competitive option, this is quite lackluster and definitely suffers when compared to its superior influence.

I knew this was going to be the case before I even picked it up, but I am glad that it isn’t nearly as bad as I expected.

Clumsy Rush Ultimate Guys Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: RedDeerGames
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Price: $6.99, £6.29, €6,99
Game Size: 713 MB