Wave Break is a game where you are tasked with breaking a series of waves to try and restore peace to the land. For a game like this, it’s important to get a copy that looks as good as it can, so the options are limited. The three versions you can get are: Standard, Premium and Premium+ which are priced at $89.99, $109.99 and $124.99 respectively.
Wave Break is a new, upcoming Switch game release for which I have been tasked with reviewing. For those of you who have not heard of Wave Break, it is an upcoming fast-paced, 2-D platformer that features a beautiful, lush futuristic aesthetic and the ability to collect crystals as you explore levels. The game also features puzzles and obstacles to overcome, as well as a new power-up mechanic called Wave Break. Wave Break allows the player to jump, dash, and glide through levels, and you can use it to fling yourself across gaps or soar across long distances.
A few days ago I received a review unit of Wave Break, a new Switch exclusive from KEMCO. It is a puzzle platformer that has players controlling a character with the ability to use the break feature of his body. If you haven’t heard of the game, it is a pretty out of the box concept. The game is pretty simple, and has players jumping on platforms and solving puzzles using the break feature. There are tons of levels, and they only get harder as you progress.. Read more about wave break and let us know what you think.
I won’t beat around the bush: Wave Break by Funktronic Labs is basically a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game, but when you replace the skateboards with boats and the human skaters with cute little bears. Oh, and if it was all in the Miami Vice aesthetic and the bears were holding guns for some strange reason. In most cases, such an insane premise can only lead to a game so ridiculous it’s impossible not to like it, or an absolute disaster. Wave Break is the rare exception that falls right in the middle. Despite its uniqueness, it still manages to be incredibly forgettable.
In terms of gameplay, this game is literally Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, but with speedboats. This means that if you don’t set the acceleration function to automatic in the main menu, you will have to constantly accelerate or drive backwards to pass levels. The rest of the game follows the same principle as Tony Hawk: one button is for grinding, another for grabs, flips, hand functions….. It doesn’t make sense when you play the game, but we’re not here to discuss realism.
The point system in Wave Break is not as intuitive or useful as in Tony Hawk.
The weapon mechanics, which seem to be the most useless gimmick, are mostly used during a few missions on each map. These are unlocked after completing Tony Hawk-like tasks, such as. B. Find the secret strip, collect the B-R-E-A-K, get a high score and so on. These missions, which almost resemble a Grand Theft Auto boat heist, are completely out of place and at odds with the arcade-inspired goals of Activision’s hit series. The lack of shootouts and no hint of story would have done the game good. They’re not bad per se, they just stand out like a sore thumb. Like that one Weezer song on the soundtrack, which is at odds with the rest of the game, which draws on synthwave and 80s music.
I didn’t find anything really bad about this game, but I also didn’t find any aspect that stood out in a positive way. For example, while I appreciated that the controls were a replica of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (you don’t have to fix what isn’t broken), the poor level design and unfortunate scoring system made Wave Break a much more boring game. While I enjoyed the excellent performance at 60 frames per second, I couldn’t appreciate the redundant art direction (or lack thereof). I appreciate the inclusion of the licensed soundtrack, but I’m not entirely convinced that the recorded songs help create the sense of adrenaline that is absolutely necessary in an extreme sports game.
Breaking the wave needs more explanation.
Wave Break is, at best, an average Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater clone that happened to launch at the worst possible time, coinciding with the debut of its main inspiration on Switch. Sure, it’s cheaper than its main competitor, and I can imagine avid Weezer fans buying it just because one of their songs is on the soundtrack, but it’s inferior in every conceivable way. The level design is weak, the art direction leaves much to be desired, and the controls are not as refined as the genre requires. You can have fun with it, but you’ll probably forget about it once you download Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.
| While some of the characters are adorable and the game runs at an excellent 60 frames per second, Wave Break’s art direction (or lack thereof) is too weird, nothing looks consistent or appealing. | The controls are the same as the Tony Hawk games, with unnecessary shooting mechanics, but the poor level design and unreliable collision detection make this game much more annoying than its counterparts. |
| There are some decent synthwave songs on there, as well as an attention-grabbing Weezer song. | It’s a fun diversion for a few hours, but given that there’s already a current Tony Hawk game on Switch, there’s little reason to choose Wave Break as its primary inspiration. |
| Final decision: 6.0 | |
Wave Break is already available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch and Stadia.
Checking the switch
A copy of Wave Break was provided by the publisher.
Related Tags:
Privacy settings,How Search works,wave break
