Digital Cybercherries Hypercharge: Unboxed is every little kid’s dream of imagining their toys coming to life and having an all-out epic war while using your bedroom as the battleground. Throughout my time with the game, I couldn’t help but think how many times I’ve had similar battles play out similar to Hypercharge, albeit without all actually coming to life.
Hypercharge: Unboxed
Developer: Digital Cybercherries
Price: $29.99
Platform: Xbox Series X|S (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, PC
Before I even loaded the game, one of the first things that caught my eye was the Customize tab in the main menu. Thankfully, this menu was everything I thought it would be, and some. I’ll be the first to admit that I had spent more time than I should have in here because of the sheer options I could pick from. Such as what kind of toys I wanted to be, how I wanted their weapons to look, and what kind of boxes they spawned out of. It’s worth mentioning that all of the skins you can unlock in this game are purely cosmetic and give you no upper hand whatsoever.
The game itself has two main parts. The first is the story mode, which can be played offline by yourself with three other bots or online with friends. The story mode is broken up into 14 different levels, and to unlock them, you’ll need to earn medals that can be obtained by playing the game on harder difficulties and completing tasks. Throughout my time with the story, I couldn’t help but smile because it doesn’t take itself seriously and leans into the whole toy soldier aspect. On top of that, the story mode secretly disguises itself as a tower defense game in the form of a first-person shooter.
What was nice about the campaign, too, is that I would never have imagined a game where I have to defend a tower from killer Beyblade-like toys or robots coming to kill me. With the sheer number of toys the game throws your way, you can’t help but laugh because of how silly and enjoyable it is.
On the other hand, its multiplayer counterpart is pretty straightforward. You can pick five different modes: deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Infection, King of The Hill, and Capture The Battery. Interestingly enough, all of the maps you can pick from are levels you can play in the game’s story mode. So, if you’ve sunk a few hours into it, you’ll be semi-prepared for playing online.
Having all-out wars in everyday locations such as backyards, restrooms, and even stores was fun. The multiplayer, at times, can feel a bit repetitive. Everyone spawns with the same assault rifle, with unlimited ammo in random locations. Now, this isn’t a problem within itself, but the issue stems whenever you find yourself trying to find a power weapon located throughout the map, and it quickly becomes a game of who can hold the power weapon spawn the longest. On top of that, the game does have some spawn protection, but it’s virtually nonexistent. Many times, I found myself dying to someone the second I spawned right back in.
Another issue I found myself having was finding a game to play with a group of friends. There are two ways to play this game with friends; both are extremely outdated methods. The first way is to have a friend host a game and have someone invite you via friend code. But if neither of you wants to host, you have to look for a server with room for both of you to join.
Despite those two issues, the game is very enjoyable, and it’s something that I hope they fix sooner rather than later. The gunplay is fun because even with the base weapon, you can put countless attachments to make it your own Frankenstein monster. For all the content you get for the price, the games at it can feel like a steal.
The Final Word
Hypercharge: Unboxed taps into your inner child and brings those dreams of your toys coming to life. It’s inherently goofy, but that’s what makes it enjoyable. Even with outdated systems in place, you’re bound to have a good time.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
