Hyper Jam Review

“Fighting at the speed of neon light”

Hyper Jam is an arena brawler where up to four players can drop into a couch co-op or online brawl of radical magnitude. Players start off with a short tutorial to get accustomed to playing and the tempo of the game. A small cast of 4 characters, from an 80’s mob member to a futuristic, blade-wielding Cyborg. Although it’s a small cast, each character has quotes and unique styles that makes them stand out.

Hyper Jam tickles the senses with its neon, futuristic world, fully equipped with a splendid soundtrack from Furi composer Carpenter Brut. Each fighter can pick up a variety of weapons like hammers, bows and grenade launchers. The fast-paced action sees you regularly dash from charged attacks or parry heat seeking missiles. Constant movement is the name of the game here, as idling will likely lead to a quick death. Knowledge of the various weapons is vital, as it’s important to balance power and speed. For instance, the giant hammer has a slow wind-up, but slams your opponents with immense force. If you find it too slow, however, just chuck your hammer at them and dash into the next weapon that you want to use.

To win each match you must vaporize other players on the field to score points. Obtain 1500 points then survive one more round to take the home the victory. While sitting and waiting to survive will work in the last round, damaging your opponents and notching kills is what will get you to that point. This frenetic pace lends itself to a number of different play styles, which helps keep things interesting. A few weapons feel a tad overpowered, but fortunately you’re given tools to counter. In addition to shielding, there is also the ability to parry. A great solution, but a risky option that is worth the reward.

A match can be over in six rounds, or all players can be at game point at round fifteen for a final showdown. At the end of each round of the competition players get to choose a new perk. These perks can stack, so pay attention to how the kill leader is choosing his perks. Perks are picked in the order of who died during the round, with fourth place choosing first, third choosing second and so on. Perks vary from knockback strength, movement speed, and attack speed.

Dying during a round isn’t all bad. You get to pick perks first, and return as an entity that can shoot lasers at the remaining players. This is a fun dynamic as you can choose to maintain the level of panic to distract everyone or aim for the player that is leading the pack. Panic starts to set in when two players attempt to take you out and you’re dashing and parrying your way to victory. Due to many stackable upgrades, all players end up moving considerably faster by the last few rounds, so decisions must be made swiftly. No one can run away forever when sudden death rolls around, enclosing whoever is left in a shrinking circle of death.

There are six arenas in Hyper Jam that all have their own hazards to watch out for. Hide from pesky grenades on the hotel roof, or kick your problems into oncoming trains in the subway. The environments take some getting used to, and I’ve killed myself on a few occasions trying to adjust to each stage’s mechanics.

Hyper Jam is a great game to pop in when friends come over. Local multiplayer games are few and far between these days, so being able to play something like this with a very easy learning curve a breath of fresh air.

We should wait to see if more will be added to Hyper Jam, but now there’s enough content and custom rules that can help keep things different and the action crisp. A friendly match with some friends can turn into a snowball of rematches, making Hyper Jam a truly fun and competitive title.