- John Bush
Game Review #379: SCRAP RUSH!! (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: Steven Green
Developer: ACQUIRE
Publisher: ACQUIRE
Category: Action / Multiplayer
Release Date: 06.20.2019
Price (at time of review): $15.00
Buy SCRAP RUSH!! from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Bomberman Rush
SCRAP RUSH!! is a top-down action game in which you battle against the computer or local opponents and attempt to crush the rival robots with blocks of scrap. The game oozes with Bomberman vibes and uses the basic model as its inspiration. Fight across different maps and modes and be the last person standing with the highest points. Will you assert your dominance or be busted down into spare parts?
Anger, Fear, Aggression…
You are one of the newer models of scrap robots that inhabit Planet Scrap, and thus being a part of the newer grouping, you are causing some animosity between yourself and the older models that still roam and work the planet. With this growing anger from the older models you have an older version who has accepted the Dark Scrap and has begun attacking the other models out of rage. Fight this model, and any others who have taken to the dark side, by destroying them with the very thing they are here to collect.
Modes Operandi
SCRAP RUSH!! features several modes for you to choose from when deciding how you will take this fight back to the dark ones. You can jump into Challenge Mode where you will play through 10 consecutive levels of increasing difficulty against AI opponents where you are trying to take out the opposition’s lives before they can take out yours. This one is all about taking lives away from the opponent. In Battle Mode you can take on up to 4 of your friends in local multiplayer and see who the top dog is. From there you have Scrush Mode where you are attempting to max out your point total by surviving waves of enemies. With all of these modes you have an enjoyable array of experiences to take on, however, for single player aficionados you will find a serious lack of content. The game builds up this interesting story, and then doesn’t touch it any further and jumps into matches that are pretty similar throughout. Multiplayer matches are fun with friends, but the game’s sluggish nature doesn’t allow for the high-flying action you would hope for. This title is more about positioning and strategy.
Robot Tank
As I just mentioned this title is rather slow in its gameplay. While this is true, it is still fun to methodically plan out how you are going to catch your enemy in a trap. This game is more akin to Tic-Tac-Toe than most local multiplayer games you might be thinking of, in that you are planning and plotting, not using pure action to beat your enemy. That isn’t a bad thing, it just isn’t what you normally would think of when playing a game on the couch with your buds. You can upgrade your speed and power with pick-ups, but overall the game is a slow-paced experience. Other than that, you only have the option to move, move blocks either one or three spaces, power-up attack, or place blocks. The ability to move blocks one spot is where you will maneuver yourself into a place to strike, but I found most stages don’t allow for a ton of usage for the three block strike, as you will mostly be hitting walls in those places other than the outer edges. This slows things down a bit more as you will be utilizing the one block hit a ton, and placing blocks is something I sparsely used as well.
Coin Chaos
As you win matches you will begin to collect coins that can be used to purchase cosmetics, maps, and items in the storefront. Cosmetics basically consist of changing your mech's colors, and from there you can grab blocks that do different types of things, like blocks that slow down enemies, or blocks that only you can push around, but the coolest thing you are able to unlock is the new stages. With this you can really spice up the basic maps you will start to grow bored of and upgrade them to maps that feature new tiles that can do things like swipe half your scrap or teleport you to other parts of the map. This adds a new level of strategy to the game and really helps add some longer-term replay potential over the base package.
In closing…
SCRAP RUSH!! is an enjoyable action title, that is better played in its couch co-op modes rather than as a single-player experience. The game is slow and plodding, and really makes you strategize and think about how you are moving blocks around and where you will strike against your opponents. A decent backstory is offered, but not touched on any further outside of the opening cinematic, which is a real bummer. A nice title that I recommend for anyone looking for a different type of couch co-op experience, or for anyone looking to scratch that nostalgic itch for classic Bomberman.
Score: 6.0/10
Buy SCRAP RUSH!! from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by PQube