Get Hyped for Hyper Jam – Review (PS4)
Bit Dragon’s Hyper Jam is a cyber punk twin stick arena fighter that will have you on the edge of your seat. Up to four players fight to the death and rack up points to be the winner. Despite its simple premise and familiar aesthetic, Hyper Jam delivers an intense, fun experience that we really cannot recommend enough. This is a game PlayStation owners should pickup.
Hyper Jam is a competitive game split into two modes. Local/couch co-op lets players fill the roster with each of the four distinct characters played by friends or controlled by difficulty-scaled bots. The four characters are…
- Max, a tough action hero in the vein of Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Yuki, a warrior reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell
- Ghost, who appears to be taking a break from Daft Punk
- Vance, who just walked off the set of Miami Vice
Most of the levels in Hyper Jam feature fall-off edges that will kill any player unlucky enough to slip or be pushed off the side. Some of these are more intricate than others, featuring moving floors, revolving barriers, or glass barriers than can be broken and fallen through. One of the most enjoyable levels is also the smallest and it really forces the already chaotic battles to kick up a notch. It also encourages players to be hyper-aware of their surroundings.
Matches that go on too long will trigger sudden death, where a moving wall of damage will force players together.
Hyper Jam lets players test their skills in the matchmaking online mode, private online matches with friends, or join online multiplayer with a buddy on the couch. Remember though, only one of you can win. It’s nice to be able to join online with a friend at the house, but private online matches currently do not have the capability to add bots. In turn, matches against one or two of our friends might feel a little underdone. Hyper Jam shines brightest in a full match – from the level design, to the perk mechanics, to the balance of weapons
Players enter a match in their Daft Punk cosplay, acutely terrified of the dangerous edges, and ready to face down their best friend or a random stranger. What do they do first in this kill or be killed neon world? Find a weapon. There are a finite number of weapons in Hyper Jam, each with its own color and silhouette that makes them recognizable. Experimentation with these weapons have revealed clear favorites, but they are balanced enough that we were able to kill and be killed by every weapon type. The clear favorite is the purple katana. This sword infuses players with the power of God and anime, with quick cuts and a flashy sound cues for power attacks. There’s also a heavy, bone-crushing hammer, the grenade launcher, a rocket launcher with homing capabilities, and a bow and arrow for you Hanzo-mains out there. In addition, there’s a surprising amount of viability to punching the hell out of your opponents. Sometimes fisticuffs are the only option, due to the limited use tied to each weapon.
At the end of the round, players receive a score based on the damage they’ve done, the players they killed, and if they were the last one standing. Points get deducted as “regrets” if characters caused their own deaths. Try to have zero regrets. The goal is to reach 1500 points, and then to survive one more round after that to become the winner.
After each round, players get to pick from a pool of perks. Everybody gets one. The player with the lowest score gets to pick first, to help balance their gameplay. This system works really well.
Example: a player was doing terribly for the first three-quarters of the game. For clarity, we’ll refer to him as “Brandon.” Each round, Brandon accumulated tons of perk related to their speed. The last few rounds this player dominated the other three, because we just couldn’t catch them, or get a hit through their lightning-fast blows when they closed the distance. This can apply to players who consistently stay at the top. Being in first place leaves that player unable to exert control over their perks. On the other hand, bottom-tier players, in their focus to grab all the health and speed perks, may unknowingly create a monster. Since perks can stack, some of the benefits don’t seem particularly viable until someones becomes massively over-powered by stacking six or seven times. It might feel unfair, but that’s what you get for passing up the “Blood Rage” or “Titan” perks six times.
Putting in a significant amount of time with Hyper Jam will unlock cosmetics for characters, including skins and taunts. I’m rolling around with Vance in a gold blazer and living my best me. It’s also very likely you’ll start humming along to the incredible soundtrack that really completes the game’s familiar but well-executed cyber-aesthetic.
For trophy hunters, there are only twelve for this game. There’s no Platinum Trophy. Bummer.
When starting a match, the game lists the mode as Deathmatch. Currently there are no other modes to play or ways to refine the experience. We’re hoping as Hyper Jam launches and receives the stellar reception it deserves, and that the game will add some depth to the polished experience it has already developed.
Here’s the thing: this game deserves to be played. It’s simple but fun, shallow but polished, and offers a type of gaming experience that the PlayStation needs more of. The Handsome Phantom team reviewing the mechanics together had fun. Trying out a new game as a team is often a contentious moment for Handsome Phantom, a struggle of hate-it-or-love-it. But we loved this game, and hope that when the game launches we’ll be able to have heated matches with PS4 players around the world. The folks at Bit Dragon should be very proud of their work. The game launches February 12th for 14.99 USD on the PlayStation Store and Steam.
Be sure to let Handsome Phantom know your thoughts? Is this a game you’re interested in? Which character do you think you’ll play as? Please tell Brandon to stop spamming his damn emote. Be sure to check out our recent review of Salt and Sanctuary or our Platted That! for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey!
Ape Out was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion.
Check out our Review Guide to see what we criteria we use to score games.
