All You Need is Help! – Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "Tetris Inspired Funky Family Fun" 🧶 @PixelJunkNews #IndieGame #GameDev

Whenever a four player co-op video game drops into the Games Freezer I immediately think, "Will this make it onto our Best Video Games To Play With Your Kids list?" Some of my best times playing video games come from gathering around the Nintendo Switch at the BIG telly and playing four player Minecraft, Mario Kart or Overcooked and I'm always super keen to add more good times to the ever growing list. All you need is help gets a lot of things right to make it onto the list but slightly falls down on other things which means it's not an all time classic co op game.

In the ever-growing pantheon of indie party games, All You Need is Help! brings a nice cosy dose of teamwork, miscommunication, and gloriously silly chaos. The game has been developed and published by Q Games who always seem to be bring out some fun arcade style video games on the Switch.You and up to three other players take control of colour-coded Tetris block characters tasked with solving a series of puzzles. The puzzles vary from solving shape based puzzles, shepherding a ball into a hole, stacking boxes in awkwardly shaped rooms, delivering packages across increasingly wild terrain, to rescuing villagers in charmingly convoluted environments.

The catch is that each character is the shape of Tetris block. One of you might be the long straight piece, the other might be a single block and the other two might be 3:1 formation. Each block can move, run and sit down in place but cannot turn without the help of the other players. This control wrinkle forces genuine cooperation, as only through teamwork can players accomplish even the simplest of goals.

Something that I need to point out immediately is that the game needs 4 local players to get the most out of it even though it does offer online gameplay. I found the Online version to be devoid of atmosphere as you are playing with randos and don't really get to communicate with them. The game can't be played solo or with less than four people unless you or one of your friends are willing to play as multiple pieces. This is a shame as I enjoy playing games like Overcooked with less than 4 players as it scales down the criteria needed to complete the level when you don't have a full compliment of players available for a session.

What makes All You Need is Help! shine is its core mechanic—the necessity of coordinated movement and task-sharing. Players must quickly learn each other's strengths and limitations to survive the game's puzzles.

The game offers plenty of bite-sized levels across varied biomes including snowy peaks, desert ruins, underwater caverns, and a haunted mansion. Each level introduces a new twist or hazard—slippery floors, collapsing bridges, angry chickens—and scaling difficulty keeps things interesting. Tasks range from simple fetch quests to more elaborate multi-part puzzles that require split-second timing and genuine strategic thinking. 

One thing that did grate on me though was the random selection of the next level each time and I couldn't see an obvious way to select a level without it being randomly allocated.

Visually, All You Need is Help! goes for a cuddly hand made character aesthetic which is bold and clean, with colourful environments and goofy character designs that lean into Kids TV type energy. 

The soundtrack is cheery and follows the child like energy but I have to admit I grew tired of it's tunes pretty quickly and all 4 of us agreed that we needed to mute it and play Spotify instead.

The controls are simple, which is critical for a game aimed at all ages. The UI is fairly intuitive and legible, and tutorials are refreshingly brief yet effective.

The one thing that did annoy me though was the animation at the start of every level which introduces each players form factor for that level. I think it would benefit from the ability to skip this either in game or as part of  a setting in the settings menu.

As you'd expect, All You Need is Help! is perfect for party nights and family gatherings, with its fast-paced levels, constant mishaps, and silly consequences. Whether you're an experienced gamer or a complete novice, it levels the playing field in entertaining ways.

One thing about the game that I think was a bit of a misstep was the addition of a 'Gasha Machine' that dispenses random items. The items can be used in your home base which takes up one quarter of the home screen. These items which could be dispensed are things like clothing, name plates, house items or nick names. The prizes don't really add anything much to the gameplay and are just a bit of a side task to maybe while away time when you are waiting for 3 other players to join your game. I would go so far as to say that this part should have been removed completely because what you earn from those machines only benefits you from a cosmetics point of view (e.g. a party hat) and does not benefit everyone else. 

SUMMARY

Despite a few design missteps the underlying concept and game is solid and All You Need is Help! is a good example of a chaotic, joyful celebration of teamwork and failure in video games. 

It’s the kind of game that makes friends and family shout at each other in joy and frustration and creates stories of the fun that was had around the tv whilst playing video games together. 

While not ground-breaking, its execution is confident and clever, offering enough content to keep groups entertained for a good few games before maybe moving onto something else.

If you’ve got three willing players and are craving for some cosy Tetris inspired laughter, this is a must-play. Just don't forget to mute the music and crank up the Spotify Playlist!

Right I'm off to bash my gashapon and twist my Tetris piece

7/10

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How long is All You Need is Help? | HowLongToBeat