Videos
Reviews:
-
When you’re making a new retro arcade game with an obvious inspiration, it pays to improve or augment the decades-old formula. This really doesn’t
One glance at Hoppy Hop is all it takes for old-school arcade fans to know a likely variation of Q-Bert when they see it. Absolutely one of the most unique arcade titles ever made, it was built on novel play, some gimmickry (the pinball “special” kick inclusion was inspired), and memorably unusual characters. Surely, with the original game’s release being decades ago, a modern developer could come up with something to absolutely improve on that classic play? In the case of Hoppy Hop unfortunately the answer is no. Yes, the boards are bigger, and yes, you’re able to use certain spots to move around the board, but there’s just an overall blandness to the experience that is frustrating. The enemies are more varied (though not as distinctive in their personalities), there are items to grab for points or a temporary bonus, and the style of play obviously isn’t completely identical, but it’s just missing some of that special sauce that made Q-Bert such an inspiration. The one advantage is that there’s really nothing else on the eShop like it, so if you have that classic itch in need of a scratch this may fill in somewhat, but keep your expectations more on the humble side overall.
Justin Nation, Score:Fair [6.8]