Do you like Smash Bros.? (Who doesn’t?).  Do you miss the 2-D platforming sections in previous Smash installments like the Subspace Emissary?  And do you also miss being able to edit your moves like in the Wii U Smash?  If you said ‘yes’ to those questions, than you may want to try Megabyte Punch.  It uses the exact same control scheme as Smash, but allows you to control a robot with customizable parts as you tromp through 2-D platform areas, brawling other robots along the way.  It’s like a cross between Smash Bros. and the GameCube classic Custom Robo.  It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

After a brief tutorial level in the Adventure Mode, you start off in a town that acts as a hub world.  Here you can talk to other robots to get hints, buy parts and colors, and find levels to tackle.  One cool thing about this game is that it has amiibo support!  In one of the houses in the town, you can scan an amiibo figure and get a random color.  It doesn’t really matter what amiibo figures you have, so you won’t get a special pink color scheme for scanning a Kirby amiibo for example.  But as an avid amiibo collector, I’m glad to see support for it.

Once you find a level to go into, you’ll tromp through 2-D side scrolling areas beating up other robots.  Play control here is exactly like Smash Bros.  Luckily it also means the controls are responsive and easy to learn like that game, too.  Punching, jumping, special moves, and blocking are all like in Smash.  Even how your health and getting knocked back farther is the same.  When you defeat enemies, you can pick up bits and parts left behind from them. Collect enough bits for an extra life (and to buy parts back in town), and you can equip parts in a menu to give you an edge.

You can equip parts to your arms, legs, torso, head, and more.  Parts can increase your attack, speed, and give you special moves like an extra jump, a slice attack, or building walls, among other things.  You can assign these moves to slots like how you perform special moves in Smash.  Parts you don’t need can be broken up into bits.  At the end of a level is a boss that you fight in typical Smash fashion.  Usually the bosses will give you part that you can equip to progress the story and open more areas, too.  Up to four players can do Adventure Mode at the same time, and there is also a Tournament mode where four players can battle it out with their robots.

I had a few problems with the game, though.  The text is super small and the font is hard to read in handheld mode.  The menus for equipping parts and moves were also a little confusing to figure out at first, and the tiny text didn’t help matters.  Also the game is really hard.  But then, that may be my fault.  I love Super Smash Bros. games, but I’m not too terribly good at them.  But if you like Smash games and are very good at them, and you enjoy having lots of customization options, then you may want to check this one out.

Kid Factor:

Megabyte Punch is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You can punch, kick, and otherwise wallop other polygonal robots who get knocked back and explode when defeated.  Reading skill is needed for the text, and younger gamers may find it a bit too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews