Based on the canine Bow (who resembles Spuds MacKenzie), star of a popular manga and anime series, Pop'n Smash is.... well, a Sanrio Smash! clone. Spuds was famous for her Super Bowl '87 commercial, by the way
It controls and plays very much like Sanrio Smash, right down to the charging bar-power shot (which can also hit the ball twice in succession under the right circumstances). Talk about shameless!
So, what's different? This has more options. In Sanrio 2P mode you have a choice of four characters and 20 stages. Here you have six characters and 30 stages. There are even 9 different tools to choose, ranging from mallets to baseball bats to brooms to even, a branch! I haven't, however, been able to discern if these various tools have pluses and minuses... or if they just serve as cosmetics, but nonetheless variety is the spice of life
The 1-Player version is limited to a choice of 4. Here, Bow opts for the twig over the tennis racket... wise choice my friend... wise choice
Even the powerups are similar. One eliminates all blocks protecting the opposition's goal line, another instantly gives you full power. But there's at least one different icon: The Bomb. You're frozen in place for a good 4, 5 seconds if it touches you. Pretty cool
Bomb just released at the top there
You can also dive to make amazing last second saves and stops. Slide north, south, west or east by pressing Y and the appropriate direction. Good stuff I say
Go through each character in 1P mode, with the VS. screen showing the password on bottom much like Sanrio. Hmmmm
Another big difference: more freedom to roam. Many stages are void of restrictive X marks, unlike Sanrio. There are some stages with restriction points, but most allow you to go anywhere. I only wish you could beat up the opponent as well, what great fun that would be, sort of a Pong-slash-beat-em-up but alas, I'm digressing
Oh c'mon you wish you could press-slam her too... Or at least smack her upside the head with the mallet
There's also a "catch-as-many- butterflies-as-you-can-in-forty seconds" mini-game in the 1P mode
Sayaka displays the powershot. Unfortunately for her, it is most ill-timed. The ball will ricochet off the barrier and into her own goal line
Certain objects are breakable, like these pots
Bow dives to perserve his blocks
Sayaka's helpless expression as the ball sails past her reach is too cute
CLOSING THOUGHTS
So, Pop'n Smash vs. Sanrio Smash. Which is better? WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
I really enjoyed the little touches in Pop'n Smash. The additional options it has over Sanrio -- one might assume give it perhaps a stronger lifespan, and THUS the overall edge... but Sanrio plays better. I can't put my finger on it, but it just feels a little bit more polished than this game
Both are really good though, and both are worth buying
So, what's different? This has more options. In Sanrio 2P mode you have a choice of four characters and 20 stages. Here you have six characters and 30 stages. There are even 9 different tools to choose, ranging from mallets to baseball bats to brooms to even, a branch! I haven't, however, been able to discern if these various tools have pluses and minuses... or if they just serve as cosmetics, but nonetheless variety is the spice of life
