Paperbound Brawlers (2019)

Paperbound Brawlers is a enhanced version of the game released originally for PC and PlayStation 4. It's a simple 2D brawler where 4 players are pitted against each other or in teams to compete for point. No meaningful story, no superpowers, no skills, just you, your pencil, scissors and ink bombs.

Paperbound Brawlers was so frantic the first time I played it that I couldn't keep track of the action and quickly switched the game off. I'm glad I came back, though, because things start to click once you get the hang of how to use gravity as a weapon, and you start to see each level in a brand new light. Planning becomes virtually impossible, and you exist simply in the moment. Until a goo bomb kills you, that is.

I greatly enjoyed my time with Paperbound Brawlers, and it will absolutely find a spot in my multiplayer rotation, which is getting harder and harder to do as the eShop lands more and more great titles. It’s no Towerfall, but it’s a solid platform fighter, and its tight gameplay, multiple modes, and unique traits do more than enough to justify a purchase for fans of the genre.