Megabyte Punch Review

What do you get when you combine catchy chiptunes, customisable robots and a fighting system that bears more than just a passing resemblance to Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers? The answer is as obvious as you’d expect; you get Megabyte Punch. Reptile Games’ side-scrolling platformer/brawler hybrid has borrowed rather liberally from Nintendo’s flagship fighter, but it’s all the additional features unique to Megabyte Punch that makes it its own game.

You enter the world as a newly ‘born’ Megac (that’s a robot to you and me) who’s greeted by a floating mechanical heart. You are proclaimed to be the saviour and protector of your quaint little robot village and tasked with protecting everyone who lives within it. This includes protecting the talking heart - which also powers the village - from being stolen by rival settlements.

It’s a simple narrative, and that’s fine, because Megabyte Punch’s compelling features are its combat and RPG elements. Once you step through the door to the first stage, it’s time to indulge in the mayhem. Combat is fun and satisfying, having the same pick up and play appeal you’d find in any arcade game. The true star however, is the customisation system on offer. Every enemy you punch, kick or shoot your way through drops either bits or parts. The former serves as your currency - and a means to getting extra lives - and the latter allow you to upgrade your bot on the fly with different abilities and weapons.

The many different options help to keep the combat fresh and unpredictable, especially as each part holds an ability that is activated with the D-pad. The only misgiving is that - on the gamepad at least - once you have a power mapped to each direction, activation can get rather fiddly and confusing. It helps to memorise which powers are mapped where though, and you should get used to the system after around an hour of play.

Once you’ve made your way through the cannon fodder of a stage - which are further split into three separate levels - you’ll reach a one-on-one boss fight. This is where the Smash Bros. inspiration becomes most evident. Each face-off takes place in an arena, with pitfalls and drop-off points punctuating both sides of the colourful scenery. Instead of health, you and the boss have a damage counter that makes you progressively more vulnerable the more damage you take. Once it reaches 100, one punch is enough to launch you into the stars like a rocket. Toppling the big cheese rewards you with a unique part that’s generally more powerful than what you already have.

Between each stage, you’ll be plonked back in your village, which serves as a hub world for you tobuy parts and customise your character with any new ones you acquired in the previous levels.

It will only take you several hours to make your way through Megabyte’s story, but the replay value is high, not least because you’ll get to listen to the excellent chiptune soundtrack a second time. Rare items, buffed enemies and four player local co-op all offer reasons to continue playing well after you need to, and if you do tire of this, there’s also an arena mode to sample that follows the same format as the end-of-stage brawls in the story.

There are a few let-downs though. Difficulty in the latter stages is ramped up, with cumbersome platforming segments. Insta-kill pits also become a nuisance, and if you run out of lives before reaching the boss, you have to replay the entire stage from scratch. These are small nuances when compared to the overall experience though, and if you’re willing to overlook them, Megabyte Punch is a great slice of fun for you and your friends to get stuck into.