That new action-figure smell.
Growing up in the 80s, it was action figure heaven. G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, and Thundercats all coexisted alongside Star Wars, Captain Power, and the various knock-off and budget toys my allowance would allow. The adventures my toys would take on, the battle they would wage, were always in my head as I would smack the toys together and declare my more expensive and recognizable toys the winner. Sure, Captain Power had that cool ship that was compatible with my VCR, but Lion-O had the Sword of Omens; it wasn't even a contest.
Hypercharge: Unboxed, in a lot ways, is that childhood fantasy come to life. As a squad of action figure soldiers, you'll protect a series of power cores from enemy forces that are intent on destroying them throughout an impressively detailed collection of environments fashioned around a backyard, kitchen, garage, toy store, and several more. Essentially, this is the Small Soldiers game people had wanted for years. Regardless of how you approach this game, from its charming aesthetic or as a glimpse into your own childhood, it's a solid shooter with a ton of charm, passion, and personality.
Hypercharge: Unboxed is built with both PVE and PVP components, but I will stress that the best parts of this title are through its PVE side as it certainly feels the most involved and fleshed out, especially as every single environment is built with it in mind. Multiplayer shooters tend to have a symmetry to their level design to not favor one side or the other. Hypercharge’s levels don't feature this type of design and while the PVP component is perfectly enjoyable and is content-ready at release with several modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Infection, King of the Hell, and Capture the Battery, the co-op campaign is without question the standout feature that makes this title so incredibly memorable.
What I did not expect going into the game was the fleshed out story, complete with wonderfully drawn comic book cutscenes that are centered around an evil action figure back for revenge. These cutscenes are featured at the start of each level as well as one final one to close out the campaign. The final level; however, needs to be unlocked by obtaining a particular medal or higher from each of the previous missions. Honestly, if you keep each core alive during the entire campaign, it's easy enough to unlock this final confrontation. Regardless, the story is fully voice-acted and executed remarkably well, especially given the size of the team and scale of this release.
Each mission is built around fending off forces as they attempt to breach your defenses and destroy your power cores as you’ll usually have three or four to manage at once. To counter their advances, you use “buildables” (I wish the name was better..) to slot into areas around your core. These buildables range from LEGO walls, and flame traps, to turrets, among other small low-impact defenses to anti-air missiles and more. As you head into each mission, you can equip up to three different ones, each of which have a different cost and attack value. While the variety is slim at the start, you'll unlock more as you earn them throughout the campaign.
Each core is also attached to a charger. You'll then need to track down AA batteries around the level to power the shields and keep your defenses going. Batteries show up between each round and there are meters in the top left that show the integrity of your core and how much longer each battery will last. Having a battery installed also allows the shield to recharge, keeping your core alive, which is the main objective of each match.
Each level also has secondary objectives to tackle, from collecting a series of rings to take to a mannequin hand to transporting all the cookies to a cookie jar, these contribute to keeping you active while the action is going on. There are also collectibles to find that unlock new parts and pieces for your action figures, ensuring you are always working towards unlocking new characters, heads, costumes, and gun skins. The amount of content here is rather staggering, and you'll unlock all of it by just completing missions, objectives, and more. That’s right, while this game is loaded with customization options, there is not a single microtransaction in sight.
Between each round, you’ll have a few minutes to explore, gathering coins and currency items to then afford to build up your defenses. This currency is available in the coins you’ll collect or small building packages that are scattered around the map between rounds to the gold that is dropped by simply killing enemies. The buildables you’ll then place around your power cores then provide a tower-defense like strategy to keeping them alive. To aid in helping you keep them operational, most levels have teleporters you can power as well to zip around the large locations, to jump pads that also assist in getting you around the level. While there is a jet-pack, its use is very rare and is rarely a constant companion.
Apart from your defenses, Hypercharge: Unboxed has some fantastic shooting mechanics that are available from two third-person views as well as first-person as well. Even shooting from the hip feels impactful and engaging with each bullet or charge of your laser feeling like it carries noticeable weight. You’ll have a decent variety of weapons that are actually attachments to your main rifle. From assault rifles to shotguns, lasers, freeze-blasters, and sniper rifles, you can have two active types on rotation at any given time, complete with various upgrades you’ll find as you explore.
From the story mode to its PVP options, Hypercharge: Unboxed can be played solo, up to four players via split-screen, as well as online. The few matches I was able to play online in pre-release ran incredibly smoothly, making for some vastly entertaining co-op bouts. And should you not take to battle online, you’ll have three AI buddies with you that actually do decently at keeping your power cores guarded, as well as tracking down and completing a few objectives. While real players are certainly going to be far more beneficial, there is some quality work here done to make those AI buddies feel worth their weight in plastic. I sort of wish you could pick and customize your team before you head into battle, to have a set of three other action figure buddies that assist in highlighting your other unlocks. While that reality exists when you have your friends join to show off their heroes, I would have loved to be able to dress up my AI buddies nonetheless.
Elsewhere in this package are a few minigames, sort of buried in the extra menus. These consist of a Beyblade-like challenge mode as well as a tank assault mode that is from a top-down view. These are fun distractions but sadly don't feel fleshed out to be anything more than something you try once or twice. In the end, they feel like tech demos for modes that were never truly finished. These modes are also only against real players and not playable with bots.
Visually, Hypercharge: Unboxed is meticulously detailed and bursting with the toys of yesteryear. Each environment is packed full of ways to traverse in ways that keeps the flow of combat paced extremely well. From little touches to customizing your action figure box, to a wealth of options for your action figures themselves, this game is crisp, clean, and immaculately detailed. Performance is consistently impressive with no issues whatsoever. It's been quite some time since I have seen a more polished release than this. Even reports of the Switch version from a while ago were met with it being one of the best-handled ports on the system. Games by small teams usually have a lot of cut corners, but Hypercharge: Unboxed is not one of them.
Hypercharge: Unboxed has been an absolute delight in being one of the only true gaming experiences that allow you to really relive your childhood. The battlegrounds are filled with so many toys that I remember playing with to set pieces and encounters that feel ripped directly from my memory. With tight shooting and plenty of well-implemented mechanics, this is certainly one multiplayer game I intend to stick with as I unlock new skins for my favorite characters and explore every nook and cranny of the game’s incredible environments. Hypercharge: Unboxed is a deeply impressive passion project that conveys it on the screen across every single plastic pixel.
Developer - Digital Cybercherries.
Publisher - Digital Cybercherries.
Released - Nintendo Switch, PC (2020), Xbox Series X/S (May 31st, 2024).
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC.
Rated - (T) - Fantasy Violence, Simulating Gambling.
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X.
Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.