A group of convicts called the "Hooligan Sisters" escape custody on Planet Land. As they escape, one of them breaks open a canister, which causes Planet Land to become infested with monsters. The "Galactic Penal Squad" contact "cybernetic peace officer" Patricia Wagon, authorizing the use of her Siren Helmet and Pellet Shooter, in order to capture the criminals. Helping her along the way are General Gendarmor, a mechanical armor that can extract her from battles, Ugly Twitching Dog, who can create reload points, and HQ, who are monitoring her actions.
Gameplay
The player controls a cyborg police officer named Patricia Wagon, who has to round up a group of escaped female convicts. The goal of each level is to find all the escaped convicts and return to the exit point as quickly as possible, with each level possessing a Par Time that dedicated speed runners can try and beat. Along with the ability to jump and shoot, Patricia has the ability to push in and out blocks dotted around the stage with her "Siren Helmet", using them as platforms or a means to destroy certain enemies. There are also various other types of blocks such as launcher blocks that send Patricia or an enemy in a certain direction and colored blocks that allow the player to change which plane they switch on. During each level, the player has three hearts, with the player losing one heart if Patricia is hurt by an enemy, comes into contact with spikes or is pushed into the screen by a block change. If Patricia loses all three hearts, she will have to start the level over. Throughout the level she can collect floppy disks which restore hearts, either by finding them, or from shooting enemies.
Development
The game was released for the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2011. A free update to the game was released on May 24, 2012, featuring five new levels, improved 3D effect and the option to restart the level. On July 3, 2012, WayForward announced development of Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition as a downloadable title for the Wii U. The game features redrawn graphics similar in style to A Boy and His Blob, and also features off-screen game play with the Wii U GamePad, as well as the downloadable content from the Nintendo 3DS update. New to this version of the game is also the inclusion of Hyper Mode levels, which remaster all previous levels making them even harder. The game was released in conjunction with Wii U's American launch November 18, 2012. In Europe, the game was released December 6, 2012.
Reception
The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN praised the 3DS version's gameplay and presentation but criticized its short length.
Legacy
A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, which has a focus on firefighting, was released for Nintendo 3DS in June 2013. This was followed by a puzzle game spin-off title, Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! A third game, Mighty Switch Force! Academy, was released in November 2015 for PC and features multiplayer elements. A downloadable content pack for adds an additional story campaign featuring character costumes and gameplay mechanics from Mighty Switch Force. The collection of the game, Mighty Switch Force! Collection, which includes Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force! 2, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition and Mighty Switch Force! Academy was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in July 25, 2019.
