Review | Hypercharge: Unboxed - Toy Soldiers That Need More Training
I never really outgrew my love of action figures. When I was a kid, a normal Saturday morning consisted of waking up early to watch cartoons and then creating stories in my head with my armies of plastic Power Rangers during the commercial breaks. I still have those plastic armies, and their ranks mostly remain unchanged, but now, instead of being strewn about the living room, they are kept in Ikea glass shelves, because I’m an adult. Clearly, I was primed to absolutely love Hypercharge: Unboxed, which combines action figures, comic books and Saturday morning cartoons all wrapped up in an Xbox 360-esque package. While I did enjoy my time with the recently released Xbox Series S/X port, there are some issues holding it back from owning a permanent spot on my Ikea shelf.
Hypercharge is a shooter and tower defence game developed by indie studio Digital Cybercherries. You play as one member in a team of action figures tasked with protecting a series of Hypercores from Major Evil, a Cobra Commander wannabe who has a giant chip on his pristine plastic shoulder.
Since Major Evil was kept in mint condition in his box and never got to experience the joy of acting out adventures, he wants to take that away from everyone else (don’t worry, I unbox my action figures, I’m not a monster). While there is a semblance of a story that is told through beautifully animated and voice-acted comic book-style cutscenes, they are less narrative-focused and more comedic, mostly existing to set up the scenario presented in each of the game’s 14 missions.
Each match follows the same structure. The player and three other teammates are given several minutes to set up walls, turrets and other defences to prepare for the upcoming onslaught of evil toys which are out to destroy your Hypercores. These fortifications are paid for by coins which are scattered and hidden throughout the map.
During the enemy waves, you will use a myriad of weapons to protect your Hypercores and dismember a variety of enemy types including paper airplanes, spinning tops and flying My Little Pony unicorns who will then drop more coins to bolster your defences once the wave is completed. During this reprieve, players can not only repair damaged or destroyed guard towers, but they can also seek out AA batteries to provide a shield for their Hypercore when the next wave starts.
If players feel adequately prepared for the next assault, but still have time remaining, they can try to complete the optional objectives each map contains. These can vary from “find all hidden coins” to “turn off the computer to help save the planet”. While they may seem inconsequential, these bonus missions provide some of the most fun found in Hypercharge.
Since you play as an action figure, the levels are gargantuan versions of everyday locales such as a bedroom or arcade. Each map is unique, and during the game’s roughly seven-hour runtime, exploring these stages to uncover hidden secrets and complete side objectives never grew tiring, even when the combat did. I found myself wishing for the wave to wrap up so I could go back to exploring and coin hunting. The action sections are not bad by any means, and are enjoyable and competently constructed, however, these parts feel underwhelming compared to the sheer creativity you experience just by moving through these environments.
The game’s shooting sections are all things you have seen before. Players can toggle between first and third person at the press of the button, though I personally found little use for the latter as the increased accuracy afforded by the former was more practical in most scenarios. As far as weapons go, each stage provides one primary gun, usually an assault rifle or shotgun, but players also have the ability to pick up a secondary. These alternative options are usually more powerful tools such as miniguns, rocket launchers and my personal favorite, a laser. Your weapons can also be upgraded by buying or finding attachments to help reduce recoil or increase range making the already smooth gunplay feel even smoother. Unfortunately, the movement doesn’t feel as nice.
Your character feels heavy, which is ironic since you play as a toy. Luckily, the game offers a sprint and double jump which help rectify this, but this means the player is going to spend their entire time playing holding the left bumper and double pressing “A”. This isn’t a dealbreaker, more of an annoyance, but it can lead to some hand fatigue, especially during the more hectic waves. The AI in the game is a slightly bigger problem.
With few exceptions, each stage has more than one Hypercore to protect, meaning players will have to rely on their AI teammates if they are playing solo (as I did for this review). Most of the time, they perform fine, but there were plenty of occasions where a Hypercore would be under attack, only for the ally protecting it to be shooting at an enemy across the map instead of the one right next to him. This issue extends to the attackers as well, as they will frequently try to break down a wall right next to their target despite having a clear path to begin whittling down the Hypercore battery.
While these may seem like minor inconveniences, they become a much bigger problem as unlocking the final mission requires completing each level without losing a Hypercore. In the early part of the game, this can be accomplished with little trouble, however since the later levels have four units to protect, it is not uncommon for multiple modules to be under attack simultaneously. Since your allies can not be relied on to protect them, there is only so much you can do. Certain enemies can also feel spongy, requiring more than a full clip to put down, making these moments even more frustrating.
Hypercharge has an online mode and split-screen coop, but I didn’t play them for this review. I do, however, have some concerns as I noted mild frame drops on my Series X when there were large numbers of enemies on screen; it seems like this could be exacerbated by multiple players on one console. Still, it’s great to have the option to play split screen, especially in an era when big AAA games are dropping couch co-op entirely.
Outside of the main game, Hypercharge offers several bonus modes. My favourite is an exploration mode where you can play through any stage to complete the optional objectives without being interrupted by combat encounters. There are also party games, though only two of them. The first has you and three friends playing as tanks trying to destroy each other; it's fun for a couple of rounds. The more interesting one casts you as Beyblade-like spinning tops with the objective being to knock the other players off an air hockey table. While these modes may be simple and ultimately not a huge draw for most players, their inclusion strengthens the title as a group of friends can get a lot of mileage out of it during a night in.
Hypercharge: Unboxed may not be perfect, but much like the paint smearing on my childhood toys from hours of play, its problems don’t have a Major (Evil) impact on the fun I had playing. The game should also be commended for providing multiple modes for friends to play in, whether they are across the world or across the couch, ensuring it offers something nostalgic amid today’s glut of never-ending live service games. It may not earn a spot in the display case, but it’s definitely one worth keeping in the toy box for a Saturday morning.
