Ultra Space Battle Brawl, from Mojiken Studio, places you in the middle of an epic sports competition that spans the entirety of the Milky Way galaxy. It combines classic fighting game mechanics with those of pong and a tower defense game. The result will be great for some, not so much for others.
The round typically begins with one player on each side of the arena, each defending a crystal which sits behind a line of little bird creatures that are identifiable by their haircuts, which are shared with the character to which they are minions. The round will begin with the ball in the center of the screen, and the object is to hit the minions of the opposing players’ to clear them from blocking the crystal, and the ultimately destroying the crystal. The settings take place all across the galaxy, and the configuration of the arena, your minions, and crystals changes as you change venues. The first to have their crystal hit 5 times loses out of the round. First to win two rounds wins the match. Sounds easy enough, right? Oh you poor soul.
The controls are simple, which is exactly what this game needs. Anything more complicated and it wouldn’t work. As you move across the screen with the control stick, using one button to dash and another to hit the ball, the game can quickly descend into chaos. Extremely fun, rivalry forming, Smash-Bro. type chaos. It’s delicious. The angle that the ball flies after hitting it is dependent on your timing and what direction you are coming in from, and you have an Ultra Move, unique to each character, that can be used after filling the appropriate meter.
There are 10 total characters in the game who, as mentioned, has their own Ultra Move, and stats, which includes power, speed, attack speed, and attack range. Unlike some games, you can definitely feel the difference in characters as these stats affect them. You also get a little background on the characters and why they are taking part in the tournament. You can play through a story-mode to learn more about these characters, and despite only being 8-rounds, it can be quite challenging and fun.
On Nintendo’s website, the page for Ultra Space Battle Brawl says it’s easy to learn, but hard to master. I don’t think I have ever seen such a shining example of this statement as this game; that is other than pool/billiards. It’s tough game. Not Cuphead tough, but tough enough. There are no difficulty settings in the game either. In order to move forward and see more, simply get better. On top of the (inter)stellar gameplay, the game looks and sounds amazing. The pixel art style is all the rage these days, but it manages to be colorful and bold without looking like every other pixel style game out right now.
Ultra Space Battle Brawl isn’t life changing or defining, but it should keep you challenged and entertained, whether playing solo or with friends. It is available now on the eShop for only $14.99. Well worth the price tag if you ask me. If you’re still not sold, check out the trailer, or even download the demo. You won’t regret it.
4.5 stars out of 5
DISCLAIMER: a free copy of Ultra Space Battle Brawl was provided to SKNR for the purpose of this review.
