Upon hearing of BIT.TRIP’s grand return to Switch, I knew the first game I’d want to play was FATE. I had played the BIT.TRIP collection on Wii a few years back, but have since gained a fondness for twin-stick shooters, so FATE appealed to me much more than in the past. That said, how is it?

FATE is a twin-stick shooter with a twist. Instead of freely moving about, you’re confined to a rail. It also plays pretty much like a standard space shooter: the screen scrolls to the right, and there’s a boss at the end. Like many old school shooters, as well as the rest of the BIT.TRIP series, this game is rather difficult yet enjoyable.

Going for high scores is the main attraction. The six stages are enjoyable in their own respects, though a tad too long for my liking. But the fun really starts when you try to perfect your gameplay. Destroying enemies while not getting hit levels you up gradually and adds bigger multipliers to your score. Get hit, and you go down a level. This scoring concept strongly motivates replay value. I’ve enjoyed going back to old stages to try and best my score.

As far as level design goes, I’d say it’s okay but doesn’t have any real ‘stand-out’ moments. Unlike many games I’ve enjoyed in the past, there isn’t any level in particular that I specifically enjoy revisiting. This means the gameplay really has to shine, and I’d say it does. FATE feels meant for chasing high scores, and it succeeds at that.

Overall I enjoyed playing FATE again after so many years. The only thing that I strongly disliked was, without spoiling too much, how much of a downer the plot is, but that doesn’t affect the score—just my personal opinion. At only $4.99 on the eShop, it’s well worth picking up if you’re a fan of twin-sticks.