The underrated Wii U game Adventures of Pip has finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch. If you missed the boat the first time, don’t miss it again. It’s a great title!

I’ve been a fan of Adventures of Pip since PAX East 2015, where the demo left me with a memorable, positive impression. Being able to enjoy the game now on either the television or in handheld mode is a definite plus.

The plot finds Pip, starting as a single pixel, on a rescue mission. The whole “Once upon a time…” starting point—with talk of legend and a kidnapped princess—shows its inspiration from some classics, but is considerably clichéd. I echo Pete from PN’s original review, in that it “falls flat in regards to the story.” Thankfully, the gameplay is where it’s a huge success.

It won’t be long before you gain the ability to modify Pip in a flash between a trio of designs. Overcoming the various side-scrolling challenges as his starting single pixel will soon expand to playing as 8-bit or 32-bit Pip, thanks to the Bitstream power. This limitless life energy flows all around the kingdom residents, essentially turning Pip into a power-up himself. It’s unique, and changing is quick (with a bit of practice) thanks to fluid controls.

The level design is on target, oh so nicely balancing this trio of forms. The challenge is real, without being frustrating, something many other platformers can’t quite pull off. The pacing is good, with the blend of action and puzzles resulting in satisfying runs. Exploring every level for concealed areas, searching for pixel treasure or villagers needing rescue, is notably gratifying. You’ll doubtless want to see “Perfect!” upon exit, showing you’ve found them all, making good replay value for completionists.

The villagers you save en route to rescuing the princess show up in the town. Here you can view statistics (such as how many pixels you’ve collected), do some shopping, chat to flesh out the tale, and other things that I don’t wish to spoil. Watching the town’s gradual return to glory is rewarding. Pip starts with just three heart containers, but more can be bought along with other helpful items.

The Adventures of Pip has an inviting look loaded with charm. Colorful, with subtle little touches scattered about, this good looking game makes for pleasant viewing. Eye-catching parallax is a visual highlight, but the entire presentation is loaded with appeal, extending beyond the graphics. Jake Kaufman’s name is familiar to many Nintendo players, thanks to his music in games like DuckTales Remastered, Shantae Half-Genie Hero, and Vitamin Connection, to list just some. His compositions in Adventures of Pip are among his best. I find myself lingering in different locales so I can listen to the music uninterrupted.

Admittedly, the clichéd yarn, plus having played this game extensively already, combine to take the shine off this Switch port some. It’s pretty much the same game. You can now return to town with the click of a button, and it loads faster, but those are the only new things I picked up on. All the same, the game was great then, and it’s still great now, even amongst the increased competition.

Adventures of Pip presents a refreshing take on platforming, aesthetically impressive with gameplay to match. I sunk hours into the original, and I’m happy to do so again with this Switch port. Hopefully, this indie from Tic Toc Games succeeds enough to warrant a sequel. Platformer fans won’t want to overlook this one.