If Breaking It Isn’t The Answer, Smash Hit Doesn’t Even Want To Hear The Question [Review]

Sometimes, you just gotta break something.

But you probably don’t want to break your own stuff, and people get mad when you smash up their things. This is where gaming often enters the picture: It’s an environment in which you can demolish the crap out of things with no consequences. And it’s even more satisfying when the things break realistically.

Smash Hit is a game about literally that, and it’s incredibly satisfying.

Here’s the idea: You’re moving along a straight, linear path through a series of structures, and your goal is to get as far as possible. Glass obstacles rise to stop you, and your only defense is your arsenal of chrome balls that you fire by tapping the screen where you want them to go.

Along the way, you can hit other, standalone objects to replenish your ammo, and the game also offers powerups like time-slowing-downery and the ability to temporarily rapid-fire unlimited shots. And these things will come in handy because every collision costs you 10 balls, and once you run out, you lose.

Your only defense is your arsenal of chrome balls.

The real star of Smash Hit, though, is the realistic physics. Glass shatters convincingly, balls bounce like they should, and you can destroy parts of structures while leaving the rest intact.

One of the more common hazards is a narrow, horizontal glass strip. Even though I could have just blasted a hole in the middle and gotten past, my favorite thing to do was fire two balls simultaneously at either end so that the middle just dropped out of the way.

The entire game is available with the initial free download; your $1.99 “premium upgrade” unlocks features like checkpoint restarts and cloud saves. But whether you pay it or not, Smash Hit is a great time.

Game Name: : Smash Hit The Good: Excellent physics, great music that syncs with the levels. The Bad: A bit of trial and error involved when the game throws new hazards at you. The Verdict: It’s the most fun you’ll ever have throwing pinballs through windows; plus, nobody will yell at or arrest you. Buy from: App Store – Smash Hit – Mediocre Game Studio

[rating=game5]