Megabyte Punch is described by its developer, Reptile, as a "Smash-like." Which is to say it resembles Super Smash Brothers in its gameplay. I've purchased the beta, played through 2/3 of the single player campaign and run a few test matches, so I come with facts and impressions.
What is cool about Megabyte Punch?1. When they say "Smash-like," they mean it. This is probably the closest game to Super Smash Brothers I've played on PC. Of course, there's no Nintendo characters - all the characters in the game are robots called "Megacs." It's probably best described, actually, as Super Smash Brothers meets Custom Robo.
The combat mechanics are pretty similar. Every character has a set of basic moves (with air moves being slightly more powerful and varied) and special moves that can be gained by attaching parts (which are found by defeating enemies in SP). Defeating a (non-cannon-fodder) foe requires knocking them so far outside the arena (in any direction) that they can't come back.
Yes, there is wall-jumping, and no, it won't make you cry bloody tears like that one Training stage in SSBM.
2. Customizable characters. There's something like 125 parts in the game (although there's a downside to this I'll go over momentarily). You can swap them at any time, and gaining/storing a part adds it to your collection in Single Player. You can even change the color scheme of your character by finding color capsules (think Kirby and the Amazing Mirror). There's both stat boost parts and special move parts, so you'll have to make sacrifices to get your "ideal" set-up.
3. Pretty extensive single player mode. It has a paper-thin plot, but that's not really why you're playing a game about robots punching each other, is it? The levels are fairly large, well-designed and easy to navigate. My favorite part of the game so far was finding a color capsule hidden away in a wall climbable only by careful usage of the triple jump, rocket and teleport moves. Each "Stage" (there's six, I believe) is split into three smaller stages, and at the end, you fight a boss. I haven't completed the single-player mode yet.
What is not so cool about Megabyte Punch?1. Repetition. There's a goodly number of parts that just do the same thing as one another but with a minor difference (+1 damage & slightly increased movement vs. +1 damage and a different effect, etc). The same three to four "humanoid" enemy setups are seen at least 7-10 times per Stage, so they get a little annoying to fight, but there's different ones in each Stage. The repetition wouldn't be as bad, I think, if the game was harder, but as it stands an enormous amount of the game (especially in SP) can be easily taken down with the hammer skill and a good sense of timing.
2. Lack of key features. The game is still under heavy development which is why it costs only $7.50 at the moment. There's a lot of missing features (like customization of base attacks or the addition of "smash" moves - these are being taken of consideration), but the most notable one right now is
online multiplayer. According to the Greenlight comments, this is one of Reptile's priorities right now.
Anyway, I highly recommend it if you're a fan of Super Smash Brothers. You can try a demo on Desura (not sure if there's a direct demo) if you're unsure. Otherwise, I'd recommend waiting to see if/when online multiplayer goes in. Maybe we can have a match sometime
Author
Topic: MEGABYTE PUNCH: Super Smash Bots (Read 1097 times)