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Hammerin’ Hero Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Hammerin’ Hero Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Walk Small and Carry
a Big Hammer

Our diminutive hero is literally hammering home his message to the evil corporation that has invaded his ‘hood. Gen is a carpenter. His tool and weapon of choice is a large hammer that he employs to eliminate the threat of the construction company that is overtaking his town. Throughout the game, Gen will change his occupation resulting in the use of different weapons, ones specific to each particular discipline. For example, when Gen becomes a professional ballplayer, he will wield a baseball bat. As a DJ, he will bash foes with a large ghetto blaster. It sounds like fun, and it is, but the good times are in short supply, as this game itself is short, and the gameplay repetitive.

Hammerin' Hero screenshot

Hammerin’ Hero is a novelty game. It’s a traditional side-scroller with the requisite platforming and boss battles. It’s done very well for the most part. The presentation is excellent, and the mechanics are good despite some slowdown. It’s difficult in places, somewhat overly difficult I might add, which extends the perceived length of the game artificially. Targeting a younger demographic, Hammerin’ Hero awkwardly straddles the fence, as it tries to be simple and entertaining while attempting to humor the hardcore market with tough boss battles and swarming enemies. The problem this poses is that it will frustrate the young, casual gamer, while the simplicity and repetitive nature of the gameplay will alienate hardcores within a half hour. You can’t be everything to everybody.

Gen reminds me of a stout, LEGO figure. In fact, all of the characters are short and squat with oversized heads. The graphic style is pure anime but it’s done exceptionally well with different and diverse levels, although there are only a dozen of them. The worlds are colorful and well detailed with layered scrolling backgrounds that give it a 3D look. Camera angles also shift synchronously to provide different perspectives, helping to add more dimension to this 2D side-scroller.

Control-wise the game couldn’t be more simple. You have two basic attacks: strong and weak. As long as you’re pressing the attack button at the right time, you’ll have little problem clearing the enemy from your path; the hammer swings and the enemy falls. Just before the whole hammer thing becomes “so ten-minutes ago,” Gen becomes capable of picking up a new weapon as he changes his occupation. Aside from the previously mentioned weapons and occupations, Gen will also flay a massive fish as a sushi chef, wield an anchor as a deep-sea diver, and swing a nightstick as a Man in Black. In addition to these weapons, there are also some punches and kicks that can be administered. A super attack is also part of your arsenal, but it can only be used once or twice in a level.

Hammerin' Hero screenshot

Levels include an amusement park, sports arena, restaurant, apartment building, TV studio, a beach, and a haunted house. Checkpoints are fairly generous. The levels aren’t huge but they can be tough, especially since you have to defeat the boss with your limited allotment of lives. Sure, you’ll start at the last checkpoint if you die, but when you’ve run out of lives, you’ll have to repeat the level from the beginning.

By eating his bento lunch prepared by his potential girlfriend, Gen can transform into one of his professions in one of the levels. You can only change one time for each level. Unlockables, collectibles, and special power-ups keep things interesting. You can acquire special ingredients for your bento lunch by knocking enemies and other items into the background and harvesting the residual goodies. This is accomplished by hitting the Triangle attack button instead of the main attack button. You’ll also receive items for your trophy case, such as souvenir hammers, enemy’s documents, and letters of recognition for helping change people’s moods from bad to good.

Hammerin' Hero screenshot

Helping people in your ‘hood is all part of the game, and another way you can do that is by knocking negative emotions out of the way of innocent civilians. Some people will display speech bubbles rife with various troubles. You can smack these away from them and even transfer them to your enemy, causing them to act confused, depressed, or to run away from you. The thankful citizens will even help you take out some of the enemies from time to time by throwing things at them. The addition of such elements does not give this game great depth but it does add to the entertaining, arcade experience.

Hammerin' Hero screenshot

The great cartoon graphics come at the expense of slowdown. While it’s not so terrible in the single-player mode, it’s incredibly annoying in the multiplayer mode. The gameplay slows to a crawl whenever a gang of enemies appears. Also, there is no co-op mode or versus mode, just a race to complete a level. There is absolutely no interaction with the other player’s character. If you find the multiplayer mode unplayable, take comfort in knowing you’re not missing much.

Voiceovers are available in English and the original Japanese versions. The rest of the sonic palette consists of various smacks, slams, grunts, and groans. The soundtrack is fun, varied and a perfect example of Japanese arcadia.

Hammerin Hero is almost guaranteed to disappoint any gamer that purchases it due to the short length, repetitive gameplay, and lack of replay value. But, it does make the perfect rental, and is highly recommended for a brief rendezvous.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.4 Graphics
Highly stylized cartoon graphics. Some slowdown. 3.0 Control
Simple control scheme. Limited move set. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Pure arcade soundtrack. Convincing cartoon sound effects. 2.8 Play Value
Repetitive gameplay. Limited and buggy multiplayer component. 3.1 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Play as Gen-san as he hammers away at corporate evil across Japan and the world in this vibrant, action-packed platformer.
  • The comic adventure unfolds fully-voiced in English and Japanese.
  • Choose from a variety of jobs, including sushi chef, baseball player, and diver, to give Gen different costumes and attacks as he fights through 12 crazy stages.
  • Along the way, make allies in battle, collect loads of items, and even unlock two more playable characters.
  • Two players can play together and compete for the best score on each level over ad-hoc wireless play.

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