A Duel Hand Disaster, quite literally!

A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher, has a cool Nintendo Switch icon… and that is the biggest compliment I’m able to give the game.

A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher is a split-screen, single-player, twin-stick risk ‘em up that harkens back to the old arcade-y games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing on its own; unfortunately, in this case, it just doesn’t work.

I’ll be honest; I’d like to see more arcade-like games on Nintendo Switch. That being said, I want games of quality. Whilst arcade games are generally intended to be difficult, it’s overkill in this case, and to the point that it’s a pain. Sometimes that can be overlooked if a decent tutorial is provided… unfortunately, that is not present here. This puts players in a predicament if they are unable to grasp the task at hand and, unfortunately, I was one of them. The split-screen nature is an interesting approach, and one I welcome if it wasn’t so intimidating.

A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher

Another point of contention is the lack of multiplayer… In today’s age, multiplayer is essential, especially within this genre. It’s not impossible, to my knowledge, either as other arcade games have multiplayer. One of my favorites that could’ve provided inspiration is Galaga.

From what I could tell, there is a decent amount of level variety at least. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean much if the game remains inaccessible for the average consumer.

If you are able to get a grasp of the gameplay, it certainly is an interesting take on arcade gaming. Basically, the game has you taking control of two ships simultaneously – this is where the split-screen nature comes in. On the left side, you are invincible, and the goal is to build up your score. Meanwhile, on the right side, you will need to recover “material”. The material will multiply your overall score. In order to extract and mark your score, you will also need to recover, on the right side, twelve parts.

Despite its cheap price tag of US$9.99, it remains hard to recommend due to its non-intuitive nature without a tutorial. I’d highly suggest that AskAnEnemyStudios considers adding a tutorial section if they want more people to take A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher, on Switch, seriously. Personally, I don’t see the game being worth anyone’s hard-earned cash, especially for parents looking for a game to pick up for their child.