Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

The run time will likely be cause for complaint for some people – Cotton 100%. But this is an arcade-style game through and through, and it’s entertaining no matter how many times it’s replayed. And since the cartridge would normally be a rare import that would fetch a hefty price, it’s a wonderful gesture to have them readily available as a digital download. For fans of SHMUPs, both Cotton 100% is a must buy – it’s an absolute standout in its genre which would appeal to old and new fans alike.

For a console shmup from 1994, Cotton 100% has held up exceptionally well with its distinct style and enjoyable magic-based gameplay.

Cotton 100% is a fantastically fun game. The stages are way too short, though, and that’s a drag given the $14.99 price tag. But is its price a show stopper? That’s up to you, the consumer. Still, Cotton 100% is silly, entertaining, and gives a decent challenge to beat.

Cotton 100% is pure nostalgia and brings with it the best shoot ‘em ups of its time, a great combination of gameplay and visuals. It's just a shame they didn't localize the game's dialogues into English at least.

Cotton 100% has great music and lovely enemy and boss designs, but it doesn't have the same polished gameplay that some other games in the series have. It still deserves a spot in your Nintendo Switch collection.

A solid port of an important game in the series. It’s just a shame that it’s not that interesting mechanically. Still, it’s a fun time and the quality of life additions make it a lot more approachable to newcomers.

Cotton 100% undoubtedly has some interesting charms and cool boss battles, but there isn’t much to it as a classic shooter. This 2021 release does the absolute bare minimum to preserve this oddity from the ’90s. If you need to try one game from the franchise, you might as well pick up the Saturn Tribute release of Cotton 2. As for this curious SNES shooter, it’s not among the games you need to play before you die.

There are a few bugs present, and some of the settings don’t work at the moment. The game also lacks any language options for the in-game text beyond the original Japanese, though a patch is apparently on the way that will add the usual set of languages. It’s an okay version of an okay game, but not much more than that.