All right, it’s time for the Cosmo Gang! I tend to like puzzle type games like this where you match objects. Although personally I much prefer rearranging vs the style where the blocks are falling from the ceiling but it all comes down to execution in the end. Ultimately I didn’t think the execution here was all that good and the gimmick of needing arrow orbs to destroy the enemies fell flat for me. It should have been basic matching like match 3-4 of the aliens to destroy them. Then for the blocks you need to match 6 which I found to be super excessive. So in pretty much every way you could say that this game really did not meet my expectations.

There is a story mode of sorts with dialogue but it’s untranslated so that’s just how it goes. The main mode is about seeing how long you can survive as the blocks come down. Every minute or so you move up a level. You can start from level 0, 10, 50, and 100. Naturally the level 0 will be a lot easier than level 100 so that’s one thing to keep in mind. The main annoying thing though is that the score jumps up with you so there’s no point to choosing anything other than level 100. For example, if you start with level 0 you have a score of 0. If you manage to survive for a while, maybe you can get to 20,000 or so.

If you start at level 100, you begin with a score of 2 million so by default I shattered all the records. Even if you lose immediately you end up having a higher score which doesn’t really make sense. I suspect the developers didn’t think that through or perhaps originally this was something you had to unlock and the Switch Online just sped up the process. It’s hard to say for sure but either way it means the score is something you shouldn’t take very seriously. You’re going to have an extremely hard time beating that legitimately as you would need to be a real expert at this style of gameplay.

Even the gameplay feels a bit dated here. You can only move objects in a single direction so there is no going backwards or anything like that. You have to keep spinning until you get the right shape/formation that you want. I imagine you will eventually get really used to how the shapes interact but I would keep on getting confused and shift things to the wrong way. In a game like this that is naturally fatal though. A single misstep will set you back a great deal and there’s no real coming back from that. As it is, sometimes I felt like I was playing perfectly and I was still getting demolished.

I do consider these types of games to be among the harder ones out there though so that definitely tracks. You really need to have a long term plan at the ready in addition to just making matches as soon as possible. Because of how the arrow orb works, you even want to line up the enemies in a way where they can all be hit in a row. Of course, that also lowers the chance of getting a 6 way match so now you have conflicting goals. Good luck on survival, I will say while there is a good amount of RNG, there is also a lot of skill here as well. I don’t want to sell the big players short, it clearly does take talent to win here.

As far as the graphics go, the game looks pretty decent. I wouldn’t say it’s amazing or anything like that but it definitely gets the job done. Then for the soundtrack it’s more on the subdued side. Not exactly something that you will be humming in the shower but it doesn’t distract from the game either. So it won’t hold the gameplay back but it won’t take things to the next level either. In terms of replay value, I suppose it is endless here as you can keep on playing for as long as you find the gameplay fun. Due to the way the game operates, no two matches will be exactly the same anyway so that’s why it never ends. I just don’t find it quite so fun and since that’s the only real gameplay that the title has to offer, this ultimately dooms it in the end.

Overall, Cosmo Gang really wasn’t my cup of tea. I think the main problem is that there are just way better puzzle games of this style out there. Why play this when you can play the original Dr. Mario or Eggman’s Mean Bean Machine? Cosmo Gang just doesn’t beat those in any tangible way and when you have a game that is super basic like this, it helps to at least have some franchise appeal. Without a legendary character like Mario or Sonic around to help out, it meant that the game was really doomed from the jump. Great gameplay could have helped to bridge the divide but we didn’t get that. I would say to skip this one personally.

Overall 4/10