The Flying Hamster Review (PS3/PSP Minis)

Full Disclosure: I’ve never played a Minis before. I have played shoot ‘em ups.

Story: The Flying Hamster starts off with the classic “girl gets stolen by bad guy, it’s your job to rescue her” motif. While, this has been done to death in the gaming world, The Flying Hamster attempts to put it’s own spin on it by placing you in the role of a hamster. This hamster must rescue his female companion and their sunflower seed from numerous villains. The story is cute, but it’s not what’s going to motivate you to continue playing this game.

Gameplay: Flying through levels, shooting and dodging enemies is about as standard as you can get. What separates this shooter from the rest is its charm and personality. The default weapon just so happens to be your own saliva, while the myriad other types of ammunition, all of which you spew from your mouth, consist of bees, sunflowers, beer, and many other things. Everything reeks of charm in this game. From whales and penguins building the pyramids, to launching baby chicks which explode upon impact. The level design is varied enough to keep you interested in what’s coming next and it’s always a delight to see just what your next weapon is going to do.

Graphics: The visuals in Flying Hamster are basic, but cute. The entirety of the game has an anime feel to it, while also retaining a somewhat retro feel. The size limitations of the Minis format may have something to do with its old-school feel, but the game owns this style whether that may be the case or not. The enemies all look great, from giant penguins to yarn throwing cats, each enemy feels fresh, never making you feel like you’re shooting the same enemy with a different skin. The backgrounds are also great in this title, often making laugh out loud. Nothing says humor like a whale clinging to the mast of a ship while it’s sinking, scared for its life. The art and visual tone is what makes this title stand out and not become just another side scrolling shooter.

Audio: The sound is less impressive than the game’s visuals. The music is nice for the first few minutes, but after hearing the same loops over and over again, annoyance starts to set in. Custom soundtracks would have been a great addition for this title, but sadly it is not a feature. The different sounds enemies and ammo types make are largely unmemorable.

Replayability: Playing Flying Hamster more than few times is not something I see most people doing. While the game does offer a Hard Mode after you beat the five standard stages, these are simply the original stages with a ramped up difficulty and slightly varied look. Pulling out your PSP and playing this for a few minutes might be something to look forward to, but don’t expect any long gaming sessions. You can easily beat this in roughly thirty minutes, and any playthroughs afterwards would be to simply improve your high score.

Pros:

·      Great art style

·      Solid controls

·      Varied environments

·      Challenging enemies

Cons:

·      Repetitive music

·      Spikes in difficulty

·      Lack of variety in gameplay

 Senior Editor: Raymond Segal

7/10 Good

Value ($5)