![]() ![]() For what looks like the old-school Grand Theft Auto, Shakedown Hawaii boasts an impressive level freedom in its top-down perspective with an open world of destructible environments and fully customizable characters and cars. Running on the saying "Business in the front and bodies in the back," gameplay will be a mix of business meetings and crafty competition, with of course a serving shootouts, explosions, and overall criminal mayhem. Their trailer playfully parodies the era with chiptune music and a characteristically earnest voiceover. Fast forwarding to 30 years into the future of Retro City Rampage, it’s a huge upgrade from the original, most notably in its substantially larger tropical Hawaii setting. This announcement was accompanied by a brand new trailer. Initially projected to release way back in 2017, the wait has been long but fruitful for this follow-up to the action Retro City Rampage. Make some space on your Switch open world list as VBlank Entertainment announces a May 7th release date for their 16-bit RPG, Shakedown Hawaii. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here. The game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a final “retail” download code provided by Vblank Entertainment. Shakedown: Hawaii was released May 7 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows PC for $19.99. Shakedown: Hawaii presents itself as a unique real estate-centric twist on open-world action, but it seems satisfied to stick with a cheap rental. It also mercifully avoids the extreme difficulty of its predecessor.ĭespite that, I’m left with a sense of unfulfilled ambition. But the actual gameplay offers a nice mix of driving, shooting, and surprisingly capable platforming sequences. The tone of these missions is cynical takes on disgusting business practices (rebranding “gamer” energy soda or scamming people with cheap printer cartridges), and they lose their charm after the first few dozen. In that light, it’s easy to while away a commute with its responsive, RC car driving controls and minutelong micro-missions. Vblank EntertainmentĪs much as I applaud the ambition of the property ownership systems in Shakedown: Hawaii, the best way to play is to ignore much of that and treat it as straight-up mindless arcade action. Rather than feeling like I’m in command of this city, it feels like I’m watching meaningless numbers increase in menu screens. Buying the airport, for example, doesn’t unlock access to new vehicles like helicopters. Buying more gun shops does unlock new weapons, but the vast majority of purchases simply boost my daily income. It’s also disappointing that most of these properties don’t amount to much. ![]() When I’m asked to steal a coffee truck to add $100 to that tally, it begins to feel petty. At present, I’m making $21 million in just a few in-game minutes. By the time I was halfway through the game, I was making millions a day. While some of the properties are gated to the story, most are not. Part of the issue may lie in the way I’ve played: Instead of focusing on the main story, I wanted to buy up as much of the city as quickly possible. Vblank Entertainment via Polygonīuying up the town, neighborhood by neighborhood, is satisfying (if unquestionably evil), but it also results in a game so front-loaded that the latter half has nowhere to go. Now, with every story mission I complete, even more plots are up for grabs, increasing my cash flow and control over the city.īuying up real estate in Shakedown: Hawaii. Blue icons filled the map indicating everything for sale. I was astonished when I first started playing. I’m talking about hundreds of buildings, ranging from convenience stores to chop shops to salons to airports. The most impressive feature: I can own every piece of real estate in the game. But where Retro City opted for NES-era graphics, Shakedown looks more like an unreleased Genesis game.ĭespite the old-school visuals, there are some truly modern sensibilities in Shakedown: Hawaii. They’re both open-world games in the style of the original Grand Theft Auto. Shakedown: Hawaii is the quasi-sequel to Retro City Rampage. By the end of the game, you literally own the whole city. But in Shakedown: Hawaii, there’s no “essentially” about it. You’ve been here before: You start an open-world game as a petty gangster, slowly working you way up the criminal ladder until you essentially own the whole city. ![]()
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