Reviews// Mega Coin Squad

I thought I was done with 2D platforming.

A bit of an odd statement, I know. Why would someone who loves games think they are finished with an entire genre that they previously loved? Well, I’ve played too many of them recently, that’s all.

I’m currently working through Max: Curse of Brotherhood, Guacamelee, Strider and a few others and the thought of booting up another one just wasn’t very appealing. However, I had to give Mega Coin Squad a fair crack at the whip. e developers at Big Pixel Studio deserve it.

If you don’t follow me on twitter or didn’t listen to my podcast Joypod then you don’t know how much of a fan of this team I am. They’ve created some of my favourite iOS games and their focus on rock solid gameplay shines throughout their catalogue.

So, not expecting anything other than a solid platformer, I gave it a go. Three hours later, my thumb was aching, my eyes were stinging and my cheeks were cramping from the big grin on my face.

Unlike most platformers, Mega Coin Squad isn’t about getting from point A to B. You’re let loose in an arena full of coins and have to return a set amount back to a Piggy Bank. Sounds Simple? It isn’t.

In fact the single player portion of Mega Coin Squad offers a hell of a challenge. It’s filled with enemies expertly designed to completely fuck you over. Getting used to attacking enemies from below? Well here’s an upside-down whale that can shoot spikes out of its blow hole. Feel safe behind those blocks? How about an auto aiming cannon that can blast through them?

It’s not just enemies you need to worry about, either. Spikes, lava and ice litter stages, adding to your woes and making Mega Coin Squad a game that demands your attention. The slightest slip in concentration will find you one heart of three down and all of your coins dropped, Sonic-style.

I died a lot during my first play-through. Levels are split up into worlds and stages. Lose three hearts in a stage and you have to start the whole world over again. It’s absolutely gutting when you get to say 3-3 and have to start over, but you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself.

For me, Mega Coin Squad sits in the same league as the likes of Dark Souls and Spelunky when it comes to death being the fault of the gamer and not the game. Whenever I had to start over it always felt more natural to face palm that smash up my macbook.

What sets this game aside from other 2D platformers is how you traverse the game space. Instead of just running and jumping - which is still a option - you’ll mainly be using your dash to reach higher positions, kill enemies or break down blocks. The dash is your everything and as a result makes Mega Coin Squad lightening fast.

To add another layer to the gameplay as you progress you can level up your character by completing tasks within each level and playing a mini-game before starting the next. It’s a nice touch in a game full of nice touches.

There are four worlds to work through, with four levels in each world. Some might say that’s light on content, but it took me seven hours to get through first time and I was compelled to cut that time right down over and over.

Then there’s the multiplayer.

Make no mistake about it, although the single-player portion of the game feels complete, it’s the multiplayer mode that is the main focus. Offering four game modes and challenging the likes of Towerfall for best local multi-player game I’ve played this year, if you have friends, then this is simply essential.

'Death Match' very much mimics Towerfall, but adds the pace of the single player into the mix. 'Mega Coins' sees you battling over a single large coin in an effort to return it to the piggy bank before anyone else. 'Hold the Rainbow' rewards the player who manages to run around holding the communal rainbow coin for the longest, but my personal favourite is 'Bank The Coins' where you have to essentially compete against other players in the single-player game.

All game modes are incredibly fun to play and the customisable tournament mode is a stroke of genius. It allows you to select only the game modes that you want to play and randomise them as you try and reach the agreed number of wins to take the tournament. It’ll keep you and your mates playing for hours on end.

There are maybe a few missed opportunities here. An online mode would have been great, although I'm not sure how possible that would be considering the game's demand for quick reactions. A daily challenge mode would have been a nice touch, too, but it’s hard to focus on what’s not there when what is, is so damn good.

Whether you’re having some friends over for a gaming session or you’re on your tod, you can’t go wrong with a bit of Mega Coin Squad. At its asking price of £10.99 it’s worth every penny and is further proof that the chaps at Big Pixel Studios know what they’re doing.

Pros:
+ Fun to play
+ Great single player game
+ Even better multiplayer

Cons:
- Lack of daily challenge
- No online multiplayer

SPOnG Score: 5/5