Originally released in 2020, Hypercharge: Unboxed has finally brought its particular brand of cooperative shooter to Xbox consoles. Developed by Digital Cyberberries and centered around what would happen if militaristic toys came to life and started engaging in all-out warfare, Hypercharge: Unboxed wears its Toy Story influences and love for plastic army men proudly on its sleeve. But beyond that, the game pulls from retro titles of old with its implementation of unlockables and discovering secrets, and there are a lot of them. Which could prove to be a drag in a lesser game, but Hypercharge: Unboxed offers more than enough thrillingly goofy gameplay to make it all worth it.
The general loop of a Hypercharge: Unboxed match involves setting up defenses to protect various Hypercores around the map. These defenses can be bought with coins collected during a timed preparation stage and after the timer expires, enemy toys attack and players must defend the Hypercores. This routine repeats for several, increasingly difficult rounds while players can look for unlockables and secrets on the map. It's pretty standard fare for tower defense games and Hypercharge: Unboxed doesn't reinvent the wheel with its offerings here, but it also doesn't need to.
This is due in large part to the combat in Hypercharge: Unboxed. Players can freely switch between third and first-person perspectives at will, the gunplay is particularly fun and weighty, and there's a real sense of accomplishment to defending Hypercores, especially at higher difficulties where resource management and ally placement can make or break a match. It's never overly complex, but just enough to provide a healthy, heart-racing challenge. Of course, playing with reliable people is a major key to any game like this, and Hypercharge: Unboxed is no exception, even in single-player modes.
The single-player experience for Hypercharge: Unboxed does leave something to be desired, though. Matches can be played with bot companions instead of real players, but at higher difficulties, they are nearly impossible because a team of bots doesn't understand strategic thinking. Luckily, there is a split screen mode that supports up to four players (another sign of the game's dedication to retro qualities), but if it's a solo experience that gamers are after, Hypercharge: Unboxed is lacking.
Hypercharge: Unboxed's Visual Charm Successfully Translates to Xbox
Retaining visual fidelity when porting to another platform can be a monumental task, but Digital Cyberberries proves it was more than up to the challenge with Hypercharge: Unboxed's move to Xbox consoles. The 14 included maps are gorgeously rendered and a nice juxtaposition to the chaotic, often cartoon-y nature of the game in general. Frame rate drops are mostly nonexistent, though they do occur from time to time in multiplayer lobbies. But the sense of scope and the charming, animated quality of the maps and how they change the gameplay in interesting ways are a big part of the appeal.
The layouts of these maps are surprisingly in-depth, as well. It's no easy thing to move from an upper platform to protect one Hypercore to another one on a lower level, several feet away. But that's part of the charm in Hypercharge: Unboxed; it's not just protecting the cores themselves that's important to victory, but ensuring team members are strategically positioned to combat waves of enemies effectively by understanding the maps. Or players can just boot the game into free roam mode and explore them without the threat of zany, over-the-top militaristic violence. There's a little something for every type of player in Hypercharge: Unboxed.
Hypercharge: Unboxed Has Some Server Activity Issues
For as fun as Hypercharge: Unboxed can be, however, there are some potential issues when it comes to longevity. Multiplayer servers can be fairly barren, which makes sense for an indie game that's close to four years old. But with a single-player mode that's seriously lacking in engagement, the multiplayer element is likely to be its biggest draw. Perhaps releasing on Xbox will reinvigorate the servers with some life. It wouldn't be the first time that the game experienced a viral craze years after its release. As of this writing, though, it was difficult at times to find actual matches. And that's with cross-network play activated (the Xbox version thankfully includes this feature from day one), though that doesn't include Nintendo Switch players.
Hypercharge: Unboxed is a highly polished, chaotic, and lovingly crafted experience for players who have an itch for retro games and addictive combat loops.
Hypercharge: Unboxed doesn't revolutionize the shooter market or offer anything new, but what it does provide is a highly polished, chaotic, and lovingly crafted experience for players who have an itch for retro games and addictive combat loops. There's certainly an argument to be made that this version is coming a little too late into its life cycle, but if Hypercharge: Unboxed can find a consistent and renewed audience with this long-awaited release on Xbox consoles, then perhaps the future is indeed bright for this zany, old school shooter.
Hypercharge: Unboxed
Reviewed on Xbox Series X
- Released
- June 21, 2017
HELP SGT. MAX AMMO TO DEFEAT MAJOR EVIL AND SAVE THE HYPERCORE!
There was once an ancient line of action figures, who created a magical power source that would allow humans to keep their favourite childhood memories of their toys. This ancient power source is known as the Hypercore. Inside the Hypercore are the beloved memories of our favorite toys. If Major Evil destroys it, these memories will disappear forever. Defend it with everything you've got, or see our cherished toys turn into lost treasures of the past!
PLAY CO-OP WITH YOUR FRIENDS: Work together as a team to defend the Hypercore. Grab a friend, break out of your toy packaging, and get ready to fight waves of classic toys. Prepare for each wave by searching for weapons, resources, and even hidden secrets.
OFFLINE PLAY FOR SOLO PLAYERS : Not everybody likes to play online. Hypercharge supports Offline, Split-Screen and Local play. You can progress and unlock everything in-game while playing solo
- Genre(s)
- First-Person, Indie Games, Tower Defense, Action-Adventure
- Addictive gameplay loop
- Gorgeously rendered maps
- Retro qualities add a lot of charm
- Underwhelming single player experience
- Lack of activity on multiplayer servers
Hypercharge: Unboxed is available now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and was previously available for PC and Switch. The Best War Games was provided with an Xbox Series X code for this review.