FUZE4 teaches coding through games on the Nintendo Switch
Stuck at home and are looking for something fun, yet educational? FUZE4 for the Nintendo Switch might be what you are looking for! Developed by FUZE Technologies Ltd, a company founded by one of our very own community members @JonSilvera , this software helps you learn coding via your favourite activity: gaming. Yes, with FUZE4, you can learn how to code and make your own game right on your Switch!
Developed during the last two years by a team of four and released in late 2019, FUZE4 is a learning platform disguised as a game but is more relevant now than ever. In home confinement, children or even yourself are likely looking for something to do, and learning a new skill wouldn’t do any harm.
When Jon approached us with FUZE4, I applauded his initiative to make coding accessible in a fun way, especially for children. Indeed, based in the UK, FUZE Technologies Ltd has forged ahead its mission to help everyone learn how to code via thousands of coding sessions in schools, STEM and career events over the last seven years. They even advocate to include video games in the school computing curriculum as a means to increase the number of students taking computer science. With this in mind, FUZE is encouraging younger audience to get into computer science with their new app.
FUZE4 comes with over 30 tutorials and even more examples, freely downloadable projects and YouTube videos to get you started. There’s also the free FUZE Coding Projects Book 1 that gives coding enthusiasts an insight with what’s possible with FUZE4. However, I found the tutorials to involve too much reading but you can always have more “hands-on” practice by turning to the programming tool. I found the app to be quite intuitive in this sense, diving into the thick of things. But younger users might need some assistance at first but, with a little patience, the videos and projects book should provide ample support. More over, FUZE4 supports input from the touchscreen, Joy-Cons and controller to better suit your liking.
Once you boot the app, you can start coding right away with the built-in engine and assets; or you can try out the sample games like a ninja endless runner or a shooter with random objects like giant hot dogs and steaks (!) hurtling at you . These demos allow you to see how it works, take inspiration from them or even modify the code. In this fashion, FUZE4 encourages the user to tinker with the tools provided and come up with something unique and share your projects with your Nintendo Friends.
However, even if you’re no beginner to coding, FUZE4 allows you to express your imagination. For instance, Jon pointed out Airtournament, a four player 3D Dogfight with self created artwork and four realtime camera views, created with FUZE4. The app has a buzzing community of game creators sharing their original projects to inspire others.
If you’re still on the fence, Jon shared some exclusive news with us as his team has ‘FUZE Player’ in the works. The latter is a totally free app for the Nintendo Switch, set to release later this year, that allows players to try out complete, bug-free games made via FUZE4. This way, you'll be able to experience what's possible with the software and should they entice you, you can then turn to the game-creating tool, FUZE4, to create your own projects. Priced at $19.99 on the eShop, it's a recommended investment if you want to get more serious with coding or learn a new skill during the lockdown.
If you get creating with FUZE4, do share your projects with us!
FUZE4 on eShop Main FUZE website FUZE community website FUZE Youtube channel
