Gaming - Hyper Bounce Blast
When I started writing this it was 3am. I was wearing black trousers, a nice shirt and clutched in my palm is a tumbler of single malt whisky. I was adulting HARD while still being cool and mature about my life, yet my inner child wanted to play more Hyper Bounce Blast and justify it as “research” for this review. Curious? GOOD! Let me pour you a glass of this fine case file.
Hyper Bounce Blast is an unashamedly straightforward 2D retro shooter with an unusual twist, you can jump like in a platformer and while bouncing around in mid-air you are invulnerable. Some of you may think that will make things too easy and you’d be wrong, oh so wrong. Using a clever mixture of epic tension, bonus rounds, large variety of levels and boss battles you will jump, shoot, scream and squint with rage as you to do that odd ‘in chair tilt’ that we all do. Ya know the whole ‘Maybe if I lean a little to the left I’ll dodge th- nope. Dead.’ Thing.
The honest truth is you need to see the game to understand it, this is why there is a Let’s Play video released on the same day as this article. If you are unwilling to tolerate my voice for half an hour I could sum it up as an energetic romp through electronic music and beautiful colours while cringing endlessly with every near miss and frustrating boss. The longevity of the game comes down to the various game modes and competitive online scoreboard. It’s difficult to write much about this game because it is quite literally straightforward and that’s not a bad thing, quite the opposite. There is no shoe horned storyline created simply because Flump Studios wanted to “cover the bases”. Instead they focused on a simple concept with a clever twist and how to make it the best it possibly could be to make it fun and affordable at the same time, and they succeeded.
Hyper Bounce Blast is not the sort of game you play for hours and hours; it’s not designed to be that. I took a couple of shots at the game after the video footage was recorded. I lasted around 2 hours and then decided I was drained of all my concentrated juices. I came back to the game few days later, played for about 1 hour because… well, I could! It reminds me of games like Faster Than Light and or Plague Inc. Yes, you COULD spend a rather large amount of time on the game but you don’t need to, there isn’t a demand for that level of attention. While this does hinder the longevity of the game for long term enjoyment it doesn’t end it. I still play Faster Than Light just less so and I suspect I’ll still play this, presuming I haven’t let the moments of pure unadulterated swearing in frustration at my woefully inadequate abilities overwhelm obliterate the controller with rage. An overreaction? Maybe… But that just means I am enjoying myself!
That’s a point, I should mention the controller! It’s a bit of a silly thing to throw in a review but I really like the fact I can play this game with both controller AND mouse/keyboard. Which one is better? Well it seems to depend on you as a person, I rather enjoyed using the mouse and keyboard while I’ve seen other players/reviewers being more keen on the controller. While I’d never dare say one side is right and one is wrong… The creator did tell me they used keyboard and mouse… ‘Nuf said.
This is a short review because there is little wrong with the game and what is right is unapologetically simple. It won’t win storyline of the year but the dynamic gameplay, lively music and short-bursts of gaming gratification will always bring me back bouncing for more. I drink my next glass to you Hyper Bounce Blast! To your assured success!
Images are from Steam.
Find our curator page on Steam at http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11570648-Garbage-file/
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