Platform: iOS

Developer: Mediocre AB

Publisher: Mediocre AB

Release Date: February 25th, 2014

Genre: Arcade (According to Apple App Store)

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10!

Around a month or so ago I went on the Apple app store to find this game, Smash Hit, being advertised on the front page. Like I always do, I got curious and looked at the pictures and description, which led me to downloading it. I expected it to be the average mobile game, enjoyable but not necessarily impressive or too original. I was wrong, way wrong. This game is definitely impressive and certainly stands out from the rest, in a good way.  It’s around a month later, and I still haven’t lost interest in Smash Hit.

Basically, in Smash Hit, you have a limited number of what seem to be metal(?) balls and you have to hit what look like blue crystals to get more. You also have to make sure you don’t “crash” into any glass, so you use said balls to destroy the glass. If you do crash into glass, you will lose a bunch of the balls you have, and if you lose them all, you lose the game and must restart from the beginning (unless you paid to upgrade the game, in which you get checkpoints.) Having the option to pay to upgrade the game would normally bother me, but the game is free and it really doesn’t affect the gameplay much. To be completely honest, I feel it’s like a cheat without having to enter a code. I prefer the challenge of having to start over from the beginning, it reminds me of the good old Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

One thing I feel really separates Smash Hit from the rest of the mobile gaming market is its graphics, physics, and beautiful glass-shattering animations. The game itself is a beautiful change from the normal mobile game, and I feel it is definitely deserving to be a leader of the mobile industry at this time. It is one of the most beautiful mobile games I have played in a while, possibly ever, and it’s a fun pastime. When I first saw the graphics of Smash Hit it reminded me of the first time I ever played Mirror’s Edge, but that could just be because both games were bright and shiny(?) to an extent.

The gameplay of Smash Hit is very enjoyable, and pretty challenging. Like all games, it starts off rather easy and grows in difficulty as you keep playing. There has been multiple times where I haven’t paid attention to the number of balls I had left, and I would throw my last one unknowingly. The game would say I lost, and I’d be like “What?” I can see how some people would think throwing balls at glass would get boring eventually, but the developers found ways to make the glass have variety and to keep the game interesting, from stationary glass to glass DNA strands, swinging glass, and so on.  Though the game is challenging, I wouldn’t say it’s a rage game, as it’s not an unfair challenge, and I don’t see it inducing many people to rage. This game is a perfect pastime for when you have nothing to do, or just feel like procrastinating.

The audio of this game is pretty impressive as well. When you break glass, or bounce a ball on the ground or wall, there are realistic and good-sounding sound effects. The soundtrack of the game is pretty nice too, and transitions well with the different rooms of the game.

For a free game, I highly recommend this to everyone, and I would still recommend it if it wasn’t free. I would very happily pay money for this game. I feel Mediocre AB did a fantastic job on this game, and I would love to see this game take over the app store like Flappy Bird and it’s copies had done. That reminded me of another good thing about Smash Hit, it’s not as simple as Flappy Bird and can’t be cloned as easily. I also feel that this game is a great argument against those people who say that game design is not a form of art.

Do you agree with my views on Mediocre AB’s masterpiece Smash Hit, or feel I gave it too much praise? Add your own thoughts and comments below in the comment section! Everyone’s opinion is welcome and appreciated.