Video Game Review: Lunch A Palooza

Lunch A Palooza

Alternative Sweater

Genres: Fighting, Party

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch is the perfect console for party games due to how accessible and portable it is. Of course, with how optimal the genre is, it also means that these games are a dime a dozen. Lunch A Palooza is the latest game to take advantage of how easy it is to play multiplayer games on the console.

Lunch A Palooza is a fighting game in which players take control of a food item and beat each other up. The main mode of the game involves players attempting to knock each other off of the table they are fighting on. The gameplay is simple enough: Players can jump, attack, or grab their enemies. Each player has an assigned amount of extra lives and the last food standing on the table wins the match. It’s a familiar setup that uses its unique theme to mix the game up a bit.

Players can play against each other or against bots. The bots are fine enough, but Lunch A Palooza is at its best when it is played with friends. Unfortunately, Lunch A Palooza only offers local play. There isn’t any online play as of writing, which limits its appeal (Especially during a pandemic). There are a few modes to play with, but most of them don’t offer much variety to the gameplay. There is the main battle royale mode described earlier. There is also a team game where players will work together to defeat the opposing team. There is also a mode where players fight to control areas on the table. All these modes work, but they don’t feel groundbreaking or diverse enough to encourage long play sessions.

Lunch A Palooza’s biggest weakness is the gameplay itself. The problem isn’t that the game is too simple, but it doesn’t work great. The attacks don’t have much weight and don’t seem to always work as intended. Players will encounter many situations where it looks like they hit their opponent but nothing happens. It’s all a messy experience that’s hard to enjoy because the gameplay doesn’t feel tight. It might be a great game for younger audiences who won’t notice Lunch A Palooza’s flaws. Those who have played more polished royale fighting games will mostly just find frustration.

Lunch A Palooza looks fine, but its graphics won’t blow anyone away. The food designs are cute, and watching them move around is a delight. The settings are also creative. The stages are diverse enough to each stand out as special. Some are absurd places for food to be fighting at, so it’s all good fun. Unfortunately, the textures don’t look clean, but that doesn’t take too much away from the game’s visuals. It was never a fantastic looking game, it can just be fun to look at sometimes.

Lunch A Palooza falls flat in many ways. It isn’t a deep fighter, and it doesn’t always work as intended. It can be a fun distraction, but there are much better games to play for fans of the party fighting genre.