Human Resource Machine has finally been released on the Nintendo Switch. Even though it came out a little later than anticipated, the wait was well worth it. The game has been available on several other platforms for quite some time now, but the Switch version is more than just a simple port.

 

Human Resource Machine is a puzzle game at heart, with an underlying dark sense of humor that will put a smile on your face every level you start. Each level your boss will challenge you with a new job. It is up to you to program your tiny cute office worker to succeed and please the corporation. If you master the assignment you will be rewarded with a generous promotion of another year of work.

What makes it fun?

The puzzles are challenging, but not to an extend that you will have to stare at the screen for 40 minutes to solve a problem. They are just hitting the sweet spot making the game an absolute mind bending, but rewarding experience. Of course the puzzles become more difficult with each level, or year you advance. The entertaining and unique gameplay is always supported by a great sense humor in the game, the little bit of story telling, and introduction to the puzzles are adorable, and will absolutely make you laugh. It is always refreshing to pick up a game that actually puts a smile on your face. If you take everything away that makes programing boring and difficult, then you have the recipe for how the puzzle system in Human Resource Machine works. Putting action blocks in the right order to get your little guy to do what needs to be done is your ultimate goal. This gets more complicated, with more and more blocks being added as you advance.

Multiplayer? Kind of.

Even though from all three games Tomorrow Corporation has released for the Switch, Human Resource Machine is the only one that did not get a real multiplayer mode. The developers stated that it would be too wild having two players working together. However, the game is tons of fun when playing with a friend. The game really shines when you dock the Switch to the big screen and invite a couple of friends to brainstorm and to solve puzzles together. Docking the console, or playing in table top mode – will also make you use the new and unique controls as well.

Controls

When the game is docked you will obviously not be able to use the touch screen anymore. Here is where the developers have accomplished something amazing. The Nintendo Wii back in the days came with a motion bar to detect the cursor on the screen when using the Wii Remote to navigate through the menu. This often turned out to be painful and clunky with the pointer jumping all over the place. The Nintendo Switch does not need any additional hardware to accomplish the same controls, but it works even better.  Once you dock the console, the game will ask you to put down the joy-con on a flat surface, and after you will need to point it directly at the screen. It takes about 3 seconds and the calibration is completed. You can now swing the controller to move around the pointer and navigate around the menu. It is surprisingly accurate and a lot of fun to use, we were positively surprised and thrilled to be using these controls, in either the dock mode or table top mode.

Final Thoughts

Human Resource Machine is one of our favorite 3rd party games on the Nintendo Switch so far. The look and feel of the game is adorable. Furthermore, the sound and storytelling is excellent. There is no way you will make it through this game without smiling, laughing and enjoying yourself as you encounter cute characters, and challenging puzzles. The game really comes to shine when you invite a friend to solve puzzles together. Tomorrow Corporation has done a wonderful job bringing an already excellent puzzle game to the Nintendo Switch and making it even better. Using the great motion features of the joy-cons is a fantastic addition. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the game in the e-shop available now for $9.99.