A Hole New World (Switch) review "New world, old nonsense..."

I have to commend developer Mad Gear Games because 2D platformer A Hole New World hits so many right notes that it's hard not to appreciate it. You can tell a lot of hard work and dedication went into the title, from its core concept down to its music and visuals. Layered backgrounds provide fine examples, including one that tripped me out in which you see numerous open chambers scrolled and lined up in a subterranean landscape.

And yes, pretty much all of the graphics look great, like someone sharpened the visuals of an NES cartridge. New World maintains its the intended retro art style while also presenting it in a way that doesn't look or feel antiquated. Rather, it comes across as a proper love letter.

By now, you're wondering about its moniker and why the devs went with “hole” and not “whole.” Think back to ancient platformers and what they have in common. Bottomless pits, right? This one utilizes similar holes in the ground for you to leap over, but with a new twist. If you fall into one, you end up in an upside down realm filled with shadowy demons, disembodied eyeballs, various other hellish horrors. You must then navigate this area with the protagonist, a cloaked “potion master” who lobs liquid concoctions at foes, resting on the top of the screen. Mechanics get tricky because holding 'Down' on the thumbstick still causes him to crouch, even though your brain might want to hold 'Up.'



This feature not only adds a fresh spin on platforming, but also allows its developers to craft some wonderfully designed levels filled with nooks, crannies, and secrets. Granted, this is a level-by-level job, but each stage nonetheless boasts a healthy chunk of exploration. One hundred percenting the campaign involves more than simply beating all its bosses, as this adventure also hides scores of gems to find, fake walls through which to walk, and hidden NPCs to rescue. All these goodies paired with a stellar performance allow you to meet the true final boss at the end of the Potion Master's quest, where he finally lays the devilish forces invading his world to rest.

I know, the title of “Potion Master” doesn't sound like it would come with much for martial capabilities. However, our man learns to overcome those barriers by somehow carrying an unlimited supply of bottles, perhaps pulled out of his own bottomless pit. At first, the dude lobs standard tinctures at monsters in a long, slowly sloping arc. This can make combat difficult against smaller adversaries because you must position yourself just right to land a blow. Fret not, though, because the Master eventually locates other tonics to up his arsenal—pun paired with the previous gag intended—and take out enemies with greater ease. Defeating one boss unlocks a lightning potion, which summons a massive vertical bolt to strike down anything it touches. You also get your hands on an ice-fire brew with projectiles that bounce around and transition back and forth between flaming and freezing. Lastly, he gains one skill set that permits him to throw disc-like bullets, perform a slide kick, fire a charged blast, and drive his foot into unsuspecting beasts while airborne.

This all sounds like a great deal, but the truth is this piece starts to crumble in the battle department. It's easy to blame it all on the hero's attacks because they're unconventional in nature. Rather than shooting straight forward, most of his “bullets” fly at weird angles or are designed to ricochet. One could easily work around these nuances with practice and learn to master fighting. The real issue lies with the adventure's bestiary, so many of which are cheap beyond belief...



2D platformers work best when every situation is doable without taking damage. Setups like this require tight and simple play control, foes that strike a balance between predictable and dangerous, and enemy placement that doesn't abuse ambushing. As you've guessed, New World in some way drops the ball on each of these examples...

For one thing, play control is simple and quite responsive. However, this is one of the few platformers I've played where you cannot execute a soft jump by quickly tapping a button. Instead, the Master performs a full leap into the air, sometimes right into floating nemeses. Honestly, that's the only sticking point control-wise, but it's enough of an irk that it must be mentioned.

My main issue lies with the latter points. You may notice as early as the second level that some creatures blend in with backgrounds. Black winged critters become nearly impossible to see against black backgrounds, and some green adversaries camouflage nicely against grass or leaves. You end up sustaining damage a lot early on because of this oversight, and the only relief comes in the form of infinite continues.



The worst of your woes, though, come from cheap shots. You'll find numerous moments where scores of enemies come at you, and you have no way to maneuver around them safely. Worse, your awkward potion-throwing skills don't allow you to scotch them easily. However, none of this compares to boss encounters. Some of them launch projectiles that are so erratic that you practically have to get lucky to get past them unscathed. Others, like the penultimate boss, possess abilities that combine randomness with a lack of warning signs. In this case, the guy flies through the air in a predictable enough pattern, but ends his aerial assault by summoning red stars that appear in random locations around the room. There are no tells letting you know where to stand or jump. You just have to get lucky.

The final boss as well loves to corner you or hit you with a dashing skill that he pulls off so quickly that you sometimes don't have time to respond. Several times, I jumped through the air to avoid one of his strikes, and he immediately followed it up with a dash, nailing me before I could even touch the ground.

I hate it. I hate bringing up these factors against the game because it's otherwise quite lovely. I appreciate it and all the work that went into it, but its combat puts you in so many no-win situations that it feels malicious. I know that's not the case because I've read my share of posts from the developer online, and I know they're passionate about gaming. All the same, I can't ignore the notion that A Hole New World is a platformer with so many soaring highs nearly undone by one tragic low.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (February 01, 2026) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.