Ever since bat met ball, these type of brick smashing games have been made in all kinds of formats. The latest to hit the PSN is Hyperballoid. It’s cheap, it’s cheerful – but does it break(out) the competition?
The Premise
Same as all games, the aim is to smash the bricks and win the jewels from the tombs you’re playing. No story, just gameplay!
The Gameplay
This is strictly bat/ball at its basic level. It’s 2-D so no shatter/magic ball pizzazz however the urge to play and smash the bricks is still the same. What is clever with this game is that the bricks take moveable form, such as horses, chariots and all kind of moving objects or lifeforms. This adds so much spice into the gameplay, it makes it quite unique to the other types in the genre out there. There are the traditional power ups as usual such as the cannon, big balls, sticky balls and so on which seems quite standard. All in all, the game is humble and stays to its roots but does what it does well.
The Graphics
Well, its smooth but very 2D – even the ball doesn’t spin, its just a picture that goes where you bat it. The brick movement is smooth enough but dare I say freeware?
The Sound
Well, there is music but it’s not particularly memorable. It does the trick however.
The Replay Factor
The game supports trophies and has a relatively easy gold to get, which for the price of £3.19, is quite rare to have a gold in. The game has a bundle of levels, although there’s not too much dramatic change from one to the next. 2 player mode is available but as I am all alone, I’ve yet to test it out.
Positives
~Old Skool Gameplay is timeless
~Score challenges to other players can be fun
Negatives
~Poor graphics
~Repeditive in long sessions
The Verdict
For £3.19 this certainly does the trick, much more though and it wouldn’t have. Shatter and Magic Ball are more approachable and fun, but also more expensive so this comfortably fills the gap. Good, solid gameplay if very basic elsewhere. Get it for a quick fix or for a trophy fiend, not if you’re looking for light entertainment for a last long game.