Calculator Review: Multiplying The Fun on Switch 2

Four years ago, the gaming world forever changed. In a year filled with hits such as Death's Door, Metroid Dread, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and it Takes Two, one towering titan stood above the rest. I am, of course, referring to Inscryption, but we also can't forget the absolute juggernaut that is Calculator on Switch. Portable mathematics were finally made available on Nintendo's hybrid console, and our lives have never been the same.

To this day, I always smile when people remember my tongue-in-cheek review from 2021. If I'm to have an enduring legacy in games media, there are worse reputations. It's the most fun I've ever had writing an article, and I'm forever devastated that Gfinity removed it, but their loss is Rewinder’s gain. It's preserved on Medium, yet backwards compatibility gives me an excuse to update this once more.

Is this review a remake or a remaster? The answer is whatever fits your awards criteria. What I can say is that with the enhanced power of the Nintendo Switch 2, Calculator is possibly better than ever.

Now, you might be wondering; can we expect a 30-hour story-driven campaign with side quests, romance options and multiple endings? Well, I won’t spoil too much, but if you’re hoping to relive your school days writing 55378008 during maths lessons, you’re in luck. Sabec’s official description is rather light, calling this “a scientific calculator with a clear, easy-to-read multi-line display, which should help with those not-so-easy-to-do maths problems”. Boasting an “appealing modern and practical design”, they believe it’ll become popular with “all students and engineers”.

Sure enough, Calculator does exactly what it sets out to. Additions, subtractions, multiplications, division, that fancy complicated stuff I was taught in high school, which I definitely still remember, we’ve got it all. The Switch’s tablet-esque design isn’t a natural fit for such a device, despite the touchscreen controls, and Switch 2 doesn't help. Still, I can’t fault the actual functionality.

However, most of us own smartphones and PCs these days, meaning it’s fair to assume you’ve already got a free calculator app. So, is there any benefit to this Switch variant that you don’t get with those? Unless you’re playing it on your TV in glorious 1080p resolution at 60fps, no, not really. Sabec’s scientific calculator does the job, but when you realise they’re charging £8.09 for this app, that’s a liiiiiiiiiiiitle bit steep. For the physical game collectors, you can find actual scientific calculators for less on Amazon.

Sabec hasn't updated Calculator with an official Nintendo Switch 2 patch yet, and I'm waiting for the day it gets 120fps gameplay, mouse controls and GameChat support. No multiplayer is also disappointing, though Battle Calculator at least has our backs. What I can say is that it loads pretty damn fast for all your quick mathematical needs.

My biggest mistake before was giving Calculator a review score, for Sabec's app transcends the needs for such evaluation on a 10-point system. Featuring a balanced roster of characters, quick load times, minimalist visuals, and a creative sandbox structure, Calculator accomplishes everything Sabec Limited set out to do. On Switch 2, we've never been more back.