Veni, Vidi, AVICII.

AVICII Invector originally launched late last year for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The game was created as a homage to the late Tim Bergling, a.k.a. AVICII, a popular Swedish DJ. Additionally, knowing that Bergling committed suicide, 25% of proceeds would be given to Safe in Our World; a charity that supports positive mental health awareness and support in the gaming universe. And here we are a few months later with the Switch version which will release digitally and at retail for $29.99 / €29.99 / £24.99 on what would’ve been AVICII’s 31st birthday; September 8th 2020.

GGS Gamer's Preview of AVICII Invector Encore Edition for Nintendo Switch

AVICII Invector Encore Edition is a rhythm-based game featuring a unique gameplay mechanic. As the game’s protagonist, a space traveller, you’ll fly on rails coming across button prompts to press; similar to what was done with Amplitude (2003 and 2015) or Frequency. However, what sets it apart from Harmonix’s creations is that not only does it increase in speed as you increase the difficulty, but also the number of buttons to prompt increases as well.

When you’re on a track, you need to press every prompt in a timely fashion in order to score points and get a chain of combo going. Additionally, arrows will appear on screen to switch track and they are a part of the combo, so missing it will break your streak. You’ll also find certain sequences where you’re off the track and you have full control over the spaceship; you are required to fly through certain circles in order to not break your combo.

Preview of AVICII Invector Encore Edition for Nintendo Switch via GGS Gamer

The game has something for everyone as players can tackle Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty. Back on community feedback from last year’s version, the Switch edition of AVICII Invector introduces Beginner difficulty. It’s a great way to ease new players in while giving rhythm-based games fans a new challenge to munch on.

Our preview build only had the first 5 songs available to play out of the game’s list of 25. The Encore edition will include an additional 10 across 2 packs: Tim Song Pack and Magma Song pack. Each of the 5 songs will vary in difficulty. Even on Easy, newcomers can notice the game’s progressively difficulty ramping up from song to song; it might require a bit of practice to get used to the control.

GGS Gamer's AVICII Invector Encore Edition for Nintendo Switch Preview

For those, such as myself, who use the Switch primarily as a handheld device, AVICII Invector plays flawlessly. From my time with this preview build, there weren’t any lag, latency, or framerate issues. It also makes me wish there would’ve been a PS Vita version as well. The only issue relies on the Switch’s joy-cons as explained below.

My only real issue about this version is the Switch’s unique Joycons. The L and R trigger isn’t as comfortable as the Xbox One or PS4 controllers. It takes some time to get to the feel of it. I also tried with a wired third party controller and it felt a lot of better than the Joycons; sure it’s not the same feel as Sony and Microsoft’s controllers, but it makes a difference.

GGS Gamer's Preview of Nintendo Switch's AVICII Invector Encore Edition

The game is playable with a single joy-con as well. As Switch players know, holding the Joycons sideways allows players to use them as controllers for some games and AVICII is one of them. And surprisingly, it works almost better that way because the shoulder like buttons feels better to use. The only problem here is that sometimes you are required to hold down the shoulder button (on top of the now-horizontal Joycon) for a certain amount of time, you’ll have to press the joystick to change path; it will require players to use their other hand to do so easily without breaking the combo.

AVICII Invector Encore Edition looks great; it’s flashy, colourful, and full of joy. The visuals go hand in hand with Bergling’s upbeat music. They also made sure that the player’s focus was also on the visual experience along with the aural experience. Obviously, if you’re not a fan of AVICII’s music, it can be difficult to get into it; maybe a few close collaborators could’ve pitched in, but if you’re a fan of music in general, this game will have something for you.

Preview of AVICII Invector Encore Edition for Nintendo Switch from GGS Gamer

AVICII Invector Encore Edition should definitely be on every Switch owners’ watch list when it releases on September 8th. It’s a fun, simplistic, addictive, albeit sometimes intense, rhythm-based game. You can be the judge for yourself when the demo will drop sometime next month on the Nintendo eShop.