Game Reviews

Sushi Hero

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| Sushi Hero
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Sushi Hero
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| Sushi Hero

The key to good sushi is sourcing fresh ingredients and then balancing them to perfection.

Sushi Hero, which sees you embarking on a mad fish-killing rampage in the name of gastronomy, is a reasonably tasty casual treat, but it lacks in both of these vital areas.

If it was a type of sushi it would be the kind you find in the fridge at Sainsbury's - superior to the bog-standard sarnies around it, but far from the best at what it does.

Chop-chop

The core game involves - as so many iOS games these days do - running from left to right automatically. All you need to do is tap the left of the screen to jump and the right to attack.

As you zip along, assorted types of fish bounce the other way. Most of these are harmless, but need to be harvested with a well-timed swipe of your cleaver.

Others - such as the electric eel or poison fish - cause you damage, so need to be attacked or avoided.

Each of the levels is brightly and attractively drawn, with a nod to Japanese anime culture, but there's little variation to be found from stage to stage. It's largely flat, with the occasional platforms that the game throws in serving no real purpose.

Underseasoned

Essentially, what we have here is Punch Quest without the deep combat system, varied terrain, and imaginative enemy design.

There's satisfaction to be had in stringing together successive chops, building up a combo meter, and targeting specific types of fish in order to meet your quota. There's a typically empowering wasabi power-up that grants you a temporary scorch-everything flame ability, too.

But, really, Sushi Hero lacks the depth, freshness, and balance to make for a truly mouth-watering experience.

Sushi Hero

A bright and fun casual runner that lacks the variety and depth of the best games in the genre
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.