Unit 4 from QubicGames and Gamera Interactive is a 2D action platformer with single-player and local co-op options. Learn more in our Unit 4 review!

 

In Unit 4 from QubicGames and Gamera Interactive, you will take control of an elite group of four heroes with different abilities that will be out to good use as you go on a journey to retrieve the sacred artifacts of your tribe. You must recover the artifacts from the alien army who has stolen it because if you don’t get them back, the solar system will decay. As you do this, you will take on some challenging 2D action platforming sequences in which a single hit is all it takes to bring down your entire unit.

 

You will control the heroes with the left analog stick, jumping with the A button. You can switch between characters by pressing the L, R, ZL, or SR buttons, or by pressing the Y button to switch to the last character you were previously using. The X button will be for using the special ability of each character. Blue will have a double jump. Red can dash through anything on its way. Yellow can ghost through materials, which also allows him to slowly fall down when his ability has been activated. Last but not least is Green, who can use his grappling hook to climb higher than the rest.

 

Your adventure will take you through colorful and dark environments alike as you try to stay alive. Since only one hit is all it takes to bring the whole unit down, you need to make sure you pay attention not only to the different enemies you will fight – and their movement and attack patterns – but also to the many hazards you’ll run into. There are the always needed spikes, but you will also run into moving platforms and barriers, deadly arrows, bottomless pits, and more. There’s going to be a lot of trial and error in your future as you try to beat each of the game’s stages.

 

The good news is that stages will have checkpoints from which you’ll be able to quickly carry on with your quest when you die. Not if, but when. Remember, this is a very challenging game, so you’ll end up repeating many sections in this and that level over and over again until you can get the timing just right. Having to control four characters and finding out which is one is the best option for one particular scenario is something that might rub some people the wrong way, which is why this is not a game that all gamer types are going to enjoy.

If you’re a fan of challenging 2D action platformers, then Unit 4 might be something worth your time. The game does not hold your hand, and other than sending you into a mandatory virtual reality tutorial for you to get the hang of things and see what each character can do, you’re going to have a hard time completing levels during your first try. In the end, Unit 4 does feel a bit repetitive, and with its floaty jumping – a mistake that should never be in a 2D action platformer, it’s hard to recommend this one right away. Unit 4 is out on Nintendo Switch for $14.99.

Disclaimer
This Unit 4 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by QubicGames.