Smash Hit

Smash Hit is an endless running game developed by the Swedish indie game studio Mediocre.

This article is about the 2014 video game. For the British music magazine, see Smash Hits.
Smash Hit
Developer(s)Mediocre
Publisher(s)Mediocre
Designer(s)Henrik Johansson
Programmer(s)Dennis Gustafsson
Artist(s)Henrik Johansson
Composer(s)Douglas Holmquist
Platform(s)Android, iOS
ReleaseFebruary 25, 2014
Genre(s)Endless running game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Smash Hit involves a steadily-moving view through a decorative, colorful passageway. As is typical with these types of often-called "mindless" games, the music changes along with the level, as the pace is fixed and the player doesn't slow down due to anything except "losing" the game. The player has an inventory of metal balls (of which the player begins with 25) that they can tap the screen to aim and shoot. The player must be careful not to run out of these balls, for if they do, the game is over.[1][2]

Obstacles, many of which may be in motion, may get in the way, and if an obstacle is hit, the player loses 10 balls.[3][4] Many of these obstacles are made of glass and can be smashed[5] (hence the name Smash Hit), but some are not and require the hitting of buttons to be moved out of the way. There are power-ups, such as giving the player an infinite supply of balls for a short time, turning all their balls explosive for a short time, or slowing time down for a short time.

There are also crystals (the small, blue polyhedrons) scattered throughout the map. By hitting a square pyramid with a ball, the player receives 3 balls;[3] by hitting an octahedron, 5 balls;[3] and by hitting a 3D star, 10 balls. If the player hits 10 of these crystals in a row without missing any, they upgrade their multi-ball status.[3] The player must hit 40 in a row to get to the maximum multi-ball from the single-ball default. The maximum number of balls the player can shoot with a single tap is 5. If the player hits an obstacle or misses any of the crystals, they lose all their multi-ball status and must regain it.

Over time, the levels get more and more challenging.[3] If the player completes all the checkpoints, there is an "endless mode" at the end, where the goal is to survive as long as possible, repeating the same course over and over. For every 0.1% through a checkpoint, 1 is added to the score. At the end of one checkpoint, the player will have gained 1,000 points.

In the endless mode, the game still counts the points, except it is the same course (set of 4 different rooms) over and over rather than different courses. Some of the highest scores in the world are in the ballpark of 20,000; a dozen of players have scored more than 30,000; the average experienced player will average 14,000-16,000; and the occasional player will average 4,000-8,000. A first-time player can sometimes break 1,000.

As the player will run out of balls, they will lose eventually. The object of the game is to travel as far as they can before they lose, rather than winning.

Mediocre has also released a version of the game for Samsung Gear VR titled Smash Hit VR.[6]

Reception

Smash Hit received mostly positive reviews. Apple'N'Apps gave the game 4.5 out of 5 praising it as "one of the best looking games on iOS", having "ultra realistic physics" and "engaging endless gameplay" while criticizing that the "base mechanic is relatively rudimentary" and that "can be tough to tell if you will make it through gaps".[4]

References
  1. "Smash Hit Review | 148Apps". www.148apps.com. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  2. "'Smash Hit' Review - Madness with Marbles". TouchArcade. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  3. "Smash Hit Review - Living Up To Its Name, Smashingly - AppleNApps". AppleNApps. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  4. "Smash Hit Review". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  5. The New York Times (2014-03-18). "Reviews: Smash Hit, Castlevania, Calculords and Threes!". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  6. "Mobile success 'Smash Hit' is even better in VR - UploadVR". UploadVR. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
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