Fuze4 Nintendo Switch is a coding game. Design your own games and learn to code.
Code Gaming Review

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch Review: Create and Code Your Own Games

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is the first coding platform on a games console that’s available all over the world. It’s developed by FUZE Technologies. The game is essentially a fully featured development environment that allows you to make your own games.


FUZE4 Nintendo Switch Review Price Update (FEB 2020)

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is now only £12.99! Find out More!


I was really excited when a PR company asked us to review this game. I’m a software developer by trade, so I was eager to get started.

If you don’t have a Nintendo Switch, what are you waiting for. Here’s 8 reasons you should buy one this year. – Link opens in new tab, except for mobile devices.

FUZE4 Review – Programming On A Switch

I was given a review code for this article. I booted up my Switch and promptly downloaded the game. The first thing you are greeted with is a quick start tutorial that shows you how to navigate the game.

An image of the initial FUZE4 tutorial.
An image of the initial FUZE4 tutorial.

After the quick start tutorial I wanted to get straight under the hood and have a look at some code and start to understand how it’ll feel to write some code on a Switch.

There are more than thirty (30) projects pre-installed so you can have a play around with and have a look at a sample game.

I launched the KatRacer demo and raced around the track. This basic demo doesn’t have any code that handles crashing into things, which the developer has intentionally not added. This is to allow you to expand on the demo so you don’t have to start from scratch if you don’t want to.

Once I’d had a flick through the code, I noticed the speed variable, so I decided to have a bit of fun. I made some speed improvements to the Go Kart as the video below will show!

As you can see the demo allows you to drive through anything!

The change I made is just an example of how easy it is to make an edit and then compile your code. To make an actual speed increase you need to change 3 lines of code as shown below.

This image shows the three lines of code that I have edited.
This image shows the three lines of code that I have edited.

First Impressions Count

My first impression was that It was going to be difficult to write any code on it due to the keyboard size and my fairly large hands / fingers. I didn’t need to worry though, the typing experience isn’t too bad. And for the target market (kids), this won’t be an issue. It’s really impressive and I’m surprised I haven’t heard more people talking about FUZE4.

Nintendo Switch Keyboard

If you want to make use of an external USB keyboard, the developers have included support for one. You can use one in both docked and tabletop mode. We’d recommend something like a tenkeyless mechanical one, the Keychron K2 is a good choice and it can also be used on PC or Mac as well.

FUZE4 – How good is the code editor?

I’m really surprised at just how good the code editor is. It includes syntax highlighting and code bookmarks. They’ve really thought it through. I wouldn’t say it’s as powerful as Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code as that’s obviously not the point of the game but it does have the feel of a professional IDE.

The purpose of FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is to make coding more accessible to young people. By creating a game that has such a powerful code editor and the ability to play your creations they’ve done something that no other developer has managed. They’ve made a learning game that people will actually want to play.

Music, Graphics, Snippets

There are included graphics as well so you’ll be able to make pretty much any game you desire. Apparently, it has more than 10,000 gaming assets. They include 2D, 3D and Audio Clips. There are more than 30 graphic designers and musicians that have contributed to the game.

I had a scroll through to see what music or voice snippets are included and there are literally thousands! For example I was looking for a simple voice clip saying ‘yes’. I found it in English and a whole load of regional accent variations. Extremely impressive stuff.

What Programming Language does FUZE4 use?

The team behind FUZE4 have designed their own programming language. It reads like classic BASIC but seems to be a bit more flexible like Java.

There is a 16 page quick start guide to get to grips with some basic coding concepts or if you want to go all in there is a comprehensive 700 page user guide which covers every aspect of the FUZE4 programming language. There are loads of other tutorials that we’ll touch on later.

The FUZE4 Nintendo Switch has a great code editor.
The FUZE4 Nintendo Switch has a great code editor.

How easy is FUZE4 Nintendo Switch?

The game has been designed to be used by beginners and professionals alike. However, programming isn’t easy and getting to grips with it won’t happen overnight.

If you have very little coding experience this is a great opportunity to learn a real-life skill under the guise of playing a game. There is so much to learn but don’t let that put you off. There are loads of tutorials that start off with the fundamentals of programming such as variables and data types. Eventually you’ll move on to more complex topics.

The tutorials are well written but, if like me, you learn best by watching or doing you can make use of the video tutorials. These are fantastic, I recommend checking the videos out. An example of which you’ll find below.

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch – Tutorial Video Example

A video tutorial example.

What Games Can you Make with FUZE4?

You can make loads of different game types with FUZE4, as they say on their community website, ‘anything is possible!’

  • Arcade
  • Beat Em Up
  • Shoot Em Up
  • Racing
  • Platform
  • Puzzle

Once you’re happy with a game that you’ve made, you’ll be able to share it with your friends by giving them your ‘Switch Code’.

An awesome game, you can also use the Joy Cons.
An awesome game, you can also use the Joy Cons.

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch Review – Fantastic Forum Community

If the online tutorials aren’t enough there is a brilliant and very active online community ran by the developers behind the game.

According to their website:

The Fuze Team are dedicated to supporting your journey in creating games and learning to code!

FuzeArena

I registered the day I installed the game. There is a forum for showing off your creations I checked out a lot of the replies and all of them are positive and offering words of encouragement or suggestions. Exactly what a community should be like.

You can find the community here: FuzeArena.com

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch Review – Technical Details

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Aug 30, 2019
No. of Players: 1 player
File Size: 3.7 GB
Category: Education, Other, Utility, Lifestyle
Publisher: FUZE Technologies
Developer: FUZE Technologies
Price: £29.99 (U.K), $39.99 (U.S)

Summary and Verdict

It’s clear, that the target audience is kids but I’ve had such a blast creating games with it, It definitely appeals to the older gamer too. My only hope is that they continue creating and releasing updates and assets that allow it to stay fresh and fully supported.

FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is good choice if you want to learn programming on the go or from the comfort of wherever you happen to sit down. The only thing to consider is, it isn’t really a game that you play and can beat the game. It takes patience and a bit of dedication to create something. Dedicate the time and effort and you’ll be able to create something special.

Score 9/10 – Yes it really is that good!

Disclosure

If you use any of the links that go to Amazon in this article they are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps me to pay for the running costs of the blog (we run at a loss!) and allows me to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.

CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.co.uk.

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