VBlank (that is, Brian Provinciano basically) returns with more sandbox riot, excitement and excessive fun in one of the most anticipated independent proposals of the entire season. Shakedown Analysis: Hawaii.
Those of us who enjoyed Retro City Rampage (in any of the thousand versions that appeared), really discovered one of the wildest, most absorbing and fast-paced indie proposals in recent times. A title that created a school and that, after many years of waiting, finally lands the desired spiritual sequel to said production. Shakedown: Hawaii is the return of the most irresistible and crazy 2D sandbox action of the independent scene, a game that stands out above all for its most valuable quality: how much fun it is from the first minute of play. A production for all current formats (including PS Vita and, shortly, also Nintendo 3DS) … except Xbox One forreasons that you can read in this news .
There are three main characters in this work, although the most important of all and the one that I liked the most is a somewhat carcame and run-down CEO who owns numerous businesses in Hawaii but which, unfortunately, have become obsolete. Videoclubs and other commercial activities anchored in the past have ended up bowing with the arrival of new times and modern technology, so there is no other option but to face this situation. And how do you intend to reverse all this? Well, carrying out all kinds of hustles and other illegal actions, and that includes everything from extorting store owners to requalifying land to build houses and other buildings.
As I have told you, this old curmudgeon is not the only character we can control, since next to him is his own son, a failed punk who gets into a kind of band to go pulling and get quick money and, on the other hand On the other hand, a kind of trigger-happy “freelance” specialized in “solving” problems.
Closely follow what is established in Retro City Rampage, but improving the formulaPrecisely at this point, the trio of protagonists, is where I find one of the few buts that can be put to this production together with the lack of translation of the texts into our language (although this last defect seems to be corrected in a while ) and, also, the presence of some bugs that are not serious or numerous. Unfortunately, and despite the fact that they all have their own background and personal situations, almost nothing has been explored in any of these characters except for the “main”, the aforementioned boss. Without giving either the feeling of being “sticky”, the other two types do not quite come together, although it is true that the missions that both must materialize are just as entertaining as the rest.
Shakedown Hawaii, sandbox freedom in 2DThe proposal of this work closely follows what is established in the aforementioned Retro City Rampage, although the formula has been refined (so to speak) slightly and, in addition, certain adjustments and improvements have been made.
From the outset, the size of the mapping is about three times larger than that enjoyed in the original work, a city that also enjoys a lot of life. As soon as we look at the backgrounds, it is possible to see a multitude of tourists taking selfies and taking pictures of the scenes, thugs wandering through certain neighborhoods, bat at the ready, cars and vans circulating non-stop from one point to another in the city …
More than 120 main missions await us, but apart from them a multitude of additional secondary tasks await us.
But the most important thing of all is that this location hosts more than 125 main missions that we can carry out, objectives that are also entrusted to us on the fly without the greatest “suspicion” and without having to act as messengers or “swallow” talks. dull kilometers that, many times, end up tiring the player. If there is something that, as happens to many other users, I do not support certain sandboxes, it is precisely the “filling”, that is, the fact of unnecessarily prolonging the main campaign of a title of this style, something that does not Happens at Shakedown Hawaii. Quite the contrary, the pace at which the game passes is fast-paced, very dynamic, and only if we wish can we carry out a multitude of other secondary tasks that are also within our reach, such as participating in frantic Arcade missions (which they can be enjoyed later from the main menu), participate in various mini-games … or perform shakedowns.
The blackmail or extortion that gives its name to this adventure gives a lot of play, being able to enter and frighten hundreds of poor victims who will have no choice but to accept our conditions … even if it’s the wrong way! And as we do, we can also take control of the city by opening and running all kinds of premises, from garages to cafes and real estate businesses that, as a whole, are bringing us fresh money that we can use and invest in other businesses . A simple formula in its conception but that I can guarantee you that it gives an incredible richness to development … if we wish, I reiterate, something that should happen in any sandbox.
It is possible to enjoy levels in total Arcade plan in which destruction and the search for the High Score is the most important thing.
But this great video game led by Brian Provinciano has many more features and game elements, such as the ability to pilot a large number of vehicles… among which are motorboats. In the same way, we can wield a really impressive arsenal, from rifles to flamethrowers or rifles, weapons that we can use to get out of the multiple shootings and moments of action that this adventure offers. And as if that were not enough and despite the fact that this time I have found many fewer references to other video games, movies and other similar productions than those integrated in Retro City Rampage, the fine sense of humor is still very present as well as certain nods to classics of our industry and cinema in general.
Its chiptune soundtrack is wonderfulThis great torrent of entertainment a la GTA but in 2D has been accompanied by a graphic work that, personally, I have loved. If the previous VBlank production stood out for having an aspect of clear 8-bit reminiscences that is really valuable, this time the studio has opted for the 16-bit aesthetic . And it is fair to say that very remarkable levels of quality and detail have been achieved, highlighting the animations of the characters as well as the design of all the scenarios, being certainly possible to enter most of the houses and places that meet in the city, something that the vast majority of titles in the same category cannot boast of.
And if this graphic proposal is really magnificent, the sound section is not lagging behind. Matt Creamer (who already proved his worth in Retro City Rampage and who recently delighted us with a fantastic job on the entertaining 2D platforms Venture Kid ) has developed a wonderful chiptune soundtrack, which gives us several of those songs that are not you can stop humming when you unplug the console. The sound effects sound a bit more “seedy”, more 8 than 16 bit in my opinion, but they don’t detract either.
“Very good”
Shakedown: Hawaii
If Retro City Rampage is a very remarkable title, this spiritual continuation improves in everything to said work of VBlank. Its 16-bit style aesthetic is excellent, the soundtrack can’t be beat, the gameplay is incredibly addictive and straightforward, and the amount of content it offers is impressive. Yes, the main trio has been somewhat wasted and, more importantly, the title presents certain somewhat annoying but not dissuasive bugs (and which will surely be corrected gradually). But, leaving this aside, Shakadown Hawaii is one of the best indie games so far this season: it is fun concentrated in a few megabytes.
- It’s a very dynamic game and to the point: zero padding, very short loading times …
- Lots of content and highly entertaining missions to carry out
- The aesthetic in the purest 16 bit style is very successful
- It is a very enjoyable and highly replayable title
- The three different characters is a somewhat wasted feature
- Although it is not small, the mapping is sometimes somewhat limited
