The arcade that existed for many years in my city was always a meeting place for the game. Despite not having a penny to spend on the machines, it was enough to get on the motorcycles, turn the steering wheels or press the buttons to infinity to feel that you were doing the game of your life.
Without a doubt, the kings of those spaces were the recreational ones that had the beat’em up in their guts. A coin, you alone or accompanied by your best friend and the whole neighborhood against you. The outlook was grim, but the combos and skill combinations did the rest to get through each phase.
With that spirit in mind, Itadaki Smash has become the latest project to bring Main Loop Games from the Basque Country. Cyberpunk style, Japan and a good helping of cakes, kicks and all sorts of lovingly seasoned punches on the studio stove.
We are going to grill those ingredients
With a 3D cartoon style, Itadaki Smash takes us to San Daigo, a city where restaurant kitchens are the main battlefield. The Tengogo mob has not yet taken control of Pan Pan and decides to cast a curse on its owner , Katsu, and the rest of his friends.
Each one transformed into different Yokai, we will have to advance through the streets and suburbs of the city to regain control of our business. Obviously with such a culinary proposal, the enemies and weapons are up to the task . Many of the rivals that we will face will be leeks, peppers and all kinds of typical ingredients of a cuisine with a Michelin star.
To face them, we will have to select between our four protagonists: Katsu, Naru, Tako and Mayo. Each of them has its own distinct aesthetic and has unique special abilities. We will find few more differences between them, since the work is not complicated and offers us an uncomplicated pattern to follow: normal attack button and strong attack button.
Under this basic premise the action between the different zones is developed. We will not find explosive combos or button sequences that activate an army destroying technique; simplicity is a word that perfectly defines the proposal of the title.
Beating the levels will be just as difficult for those who are experts in the beat’em up genre as those who are new to the game. It doesn’t matter if we do it alone or with others, Itadaki Smash offers a scheme to follow continuously during its about 2 hours of play .
We can hook into two modes of the main campaign: normal (without a time limit, automatic saves and infinite continuations) and arcade (a single life, with a time limit and no continuations). Perhaps an intermediate mode would have more balanced the experience, which is enriched with the arena (waves of enemies to resist) and a versus format.
Laughter between slaps
One of the best weapons Itadaki Smash wields is his sense of humor. The game continuously breaks the fourth wall , messes with programmers, laughs at the writers’ little imagination, and winks at the video game industry like a submachine gun.
The clearest example we have during one of the levels in which we go through an arcade room, with arcade games such as Final Mochi XXI or Streets of Rice . The dialogues between Katsu’s grandmother, who will act as a guide during the game, and the characters will surely give you more than one smile.
She herself will inform us that we can access magical attacks that we can activate with the crosshead. Energy balls that dwarf Goku’s genkidamas, greater speed or life recovery will be resources to consider. In the same way, you will have to be attentive to the scene itself, since there are destructible elements such as electricity sources or streetlights that serve to increase the damage or keep the combo high.
Too bad that in this sense we cannot pick up an object to use as a weapon or throw it to have remote mechanics. Something that does not prevent us from beating the final bosses very hard, very well designed and with clear patterns to avoid. From a giant crab with a bowl on its head to the most aggressive leek you can throw at your face.
Vida Extra’s opinion
Itadaki Smash will not be the first choice for lovers of beat’em up. The game, which is supported by the PlayStation Talents initiative, is based on a few simple bases, in which we will find very little depth. Regardless, I cannot deny that it has entertained me for as long as I have played it.
I have not stopped until I get platinum on PS4 , accessible and a reason why it can attract the most completeists and trophy hunters. While it needs some polishing in some areas (I had to restart the levels a few times because the enemies were not showing), Itadaki Smash does not cheat and makes an adventure against the neighborhood accessible to everyone.
Itadaki Smash
| Platforms | PC and PS4 (analyzed version) |
|---|---|
| Multiplayer | Yes |
| Developer | Main Loop |
| Company | Main Loop |
| Launch | May 21, 2021 |
The best
- Accessible to all the public.
- A candy for the most complete.
- His constant sense of humor.
Worst
- More characters to unlock.
- Lack of depth in their systems.
- Some technical aspects to polish