As much as us at New Fury love when musical genres blend, we’re definitely attracted to games that do so, too. It’s refreshing to experience some of the best ideas from one type of game mesh with another’s, creating a unique time. In SuperMash, that’s the name of the game, as its premise has you mixing two game genres and playing the result.

After a little background, you’re given free reign to launch your Playtype gaming console. You’ll have the choice between Action-Adventure (think early Zelda), Platformer (Mario), JRPG (Final Fantasy), Stealth (Metal Gear), Metrovania (Metroid), and Shmup (Galaga).

You can mix and match any of these, but you’re going to get different results every time thanks to some randomization. My first try was simple: Action-Adventure and Platformer. I was briefed on what character I’d play as, their health/speed, attack, and any random glitches that will add quirks to the game. The level/gameplay felt straight out of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, as I was tasked with finding a red gem in the level within 5 minutes. My character stemmed from the platformer, and had the ability to jump on enemies heads, but other than that, the game didn’t really utilize that aspect in the mix.

It was only when I tried several other mashes that I figured out the formula. All of the above are random each mash, including which level’s genre it is – for example, I could mash a Shmup and Stealth game twice, and there’s a chance I’d play on the Shmup level the first time and the Stealth level the second. There’s a disclaimer that SuperMash displays every time you boot it up, letting you know that mashes can be ridiculously easy, impossible, etc. After trying out 20 or so, I only encountered 1 I couldn’t beat due to unluckily getting low health.

While the concept is outstanding, it’s flawed in execution. The randomization is beneficial, but the levels are one-note and I found myself retreading familiar ground within 30 minutes. Some elements of the genres are frustrating, such as the Shmup level controlling slow as molasses and dying to unpredictable spikes in downward jumps on Metrovania’s level. In addition, the progression in the overworld feels nonexistent – I was never clued in on how to get more journal notes, which appeared to be the objective.

SuperMash has a great idea in its backbone, and could be a great game if the gameplay issues were ironed out and felt tighter, but the room for improvement is glaring. If you like what you see, consider it on a deep sale.

THE RATING – 6/10

Pros:
-Nice character design
-Brilliant premise

Cons:
-Rough execution, inconsistency
-Lack of direction
-Gets stale fast

A press key for SuperMash was provided courtesy of Digital Continue.