Nintendo hosted their Indie World showcase, which was generally a good move as indies continue to swing pound for pound against massive development studios and publishers with their ingenious gameplay, risky plots, and genre-defining mechanics that developers scramble to imitate on infinitely bigger budgets. SuperMash was one such game that was featured, and is planning to come to consoles in May; it released the day prior only on the Epic Game Store as yet another store-exclusive, and won’t be stretching to any other PC platforms.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, the Epic Game Store’s lack of user-friendly mechanics frustrates many consumers, from discussions to review systems that allow users to be prepared for what the title currently offers prior to them investing in a game. This lack of system has made some speculate on why SuperMash opted for an Epic Game Store exclusive, and if this movement will be repeated in the future.
SuperMash is an indie game that focuses on mashing up two staple genre’s into something new. It’s a unique idea, allowing outlandish combinations like a Metroidvania-JRPG mashup, or a stealth platformer. This core gameplay mechanic is wrapped in a mediocre story about owning a suffering game shop and finding the unique game console that mixes two genres found on cartridges. Players can discover more cartridges as they progress in the story, and receive requests for game types from customers browsing their store.
If you didn't hear, Nintendo helped us announce our next game, SuperMash, during Indie World earlier! Even more exciting—the game is OUT NOW on the Epic Games Store. We're so excited for you to play it!
PLAY NOW: https://t.co/FGLNCTogif#SuperMash #NYMakesGames #MadeWithUnity pic.twitter.com/Wa7ejgmGmO
— Digital Continue (@digitalcontinue) December 10, 2019
At first glance, it seems promising; genres have tried-and-true mechanics that could theoretically be combined into new games. The delivery, however, is a completely different story. All genres fail to deliver any depth of gameplay that makes the genres great in the first place, making them poor and shallow reflections of the genre they are supposed to be. The game glitches consistently, not allowing players to finish the game mashup, so they don’t receive the points and are forced to restart the mashup hoping they can complete the objective. Even simple platformers wildly miss the mark in SuperMash, if we were to ignore the more difficult games to balance and craft like JRPG’s.
Shortly after release, many publications came out panning the game as lacking anything worth playing, and forums are warning others against the $25 purchase.
Interestingly, there is a tinfoil conspiracy that’s slowly making the rounds about the Epic Game Store and certain publishers choosing it for their platforms. With SuperMash set to release in May for consoles, where the Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation have been announced thus far, it’s inevitable that possible consumers are to search for the title and check its reviews. With Epic Game Store not offering any reviews, nor an area to host a discussion about the plethora of bugs and repetitive gameplay, it seems plausible to some that this was a calculated move from SuperMash developers Digital Continue.
A few critics panning the game doesn’t make an inherently bad game by themselves; hundreds of frustrated discussions taking place in one singular platform, does. Thus, some posit that Digital Continue is attempting to obfuscate SuperMash’s current plight by adhering to platforms that don’t readily encourage discussion.
It’s admittedly a bit outlandish of a theory, although one that does have certain points of merit. Until a developer comes out directly and admits adherence to that theory, however, the tinfoil hat remains poignantly placed. It will be interesting to watch titles that come to the EGS, their planned future releases, and the critic reception.
