I'll never forget the day I saw Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. It was the best movie going experience I had in some time -- the capacity filled theatre was just so vociferous. The film hit the mark, and me and my friend (see Jessie's Girl) loved every second of it
I remember that day fondly for another reason. The spring semester just ended and I was looking for a summer job. I scoured the mall an hour before show time
I walked past a store I never cared to think twice of, but stopped... NOW HIRING eh? To quote my friend, the three best words a guy could ever hear from a hot girl: What the hell
So I walked in
A cute girl about 19 years old was working. The store was empty
"I'd like an application"
She looked at me like I was joking. When she realized I wasn't, she gave me one
I went outside and filled it out on a bench
5 minutes later, I placed the application on the counter
She looked up to see it was me again. Cat got her tongue for a second. Finally, she said this:
"There hasn't been a male employee here in five years...."
I grinned, and then in a surreptitiously confident manner, uttered the rhetoric words that I knew won me the job then and there
"I guess the odds are against me then"
The reaction on her face was priceless. I walked out on that note, leaving her hanging
Two days later, they called me in for an interview. I nailed it and was hired on the spot. My first shift, the mall was packed like a sardine can, and they assigned me to take care of the Wheel Game where I ask customers to pay two dollars to spin for a mystery prize. 3 (most common and cheapest prizes), 2, 1 and Grand Prize were marked on the wheel, so everyone wins something
Before I went to it one of the girl employees came over and told me to limit the Grand Prize winners. "But if they land on it, how can I change that?" I asked. Then she showed me a little knob on the back of the contraption. When twisted, you could get JUST enough on it to move the arrow indicator
That afternoon a couple kids did land on the Grand Prize, and I never once manipulated the knob. This one's for the little guys -- LITERALLY!
For the next 7 months I was a salesclerk there. On the weekends I took charge of the Wheel Game because the boss said I made more $$$ on it than the girls ever did, or could. I had the magic touch. Being the only male had it ups and downs, of course. All in all, it was a nice experience
ANYWAY! To the game, and what a fine one it is
What is SWSB! like? Think Windjammers (Neo Geo)... only, with Sanrio characters. For those not in the know, Windjammers is basically an air hockey type game, some may call it a "Pong for the 90's" where two player are stationed on opposite ends and the key is to smack the disc into their goal line in a best 3 out of 5 format. Blocks and other obstacles stand in the way. Windjammers was horizontal however, whereas Sanrio Smash is vertical
Weighing in at a WHOPPIN' TWO MEGS, it's tied with Mr. Do! and Space Invaders as the smallest game on Super Nintendo. Tales of Phantasia -- the biggest SNES game (48 megs) is TWENTY-FOUR times bigger than Sanrio Smash! WHEW! But as you can see, the graphics are serviceable
It's a simple and fun 2 player game. I know the cutesy nature may turn off some but don't let that fool you. Sanrio Smash plays a mean, addictive, competitive game with many different layouts. There are also power-ups inside blocks... one for example will instantly eliminate all the blocks protecting the opposition's goal line... making him ripe for the pickings
Some stages have X marks, which serve as a restriction line. There are some stages though that allow you the ability to go where you please
As you progress the design gets crazier. Here's one of my faves void of those annoying X marks. The seesaw continuously rotates, affecting both players' strategy on the fly
Aside from your standard left and right swats there's a super shot. By holding a button you'll charge up a power bar. When full, pressing X enables your powershot, sending the disc flying straight ahead at 250 miles per hour. Your guy will swing his arms twice in a circular motion, so it's possible to hit the disc twice in succession if it bounces off a block and comes right back to you. The bar will only fill up when you're standing still and holding a button. It can be re-filled as many times as you wish
Bar's full, my guy's flashing, and I'm gearing up.....
Using my super shot, the first hit connects and breaks a block. It immediately ricochets back to me before my super shot animation expires, allowing for a second hit. And this time around, he has no answer
Some of the stage designs are very unique. There's a 1P mode, password option and 2P mode. In 2P mode you have 20 stages to pick from, and 4 Sanrio characters. Some of the stage gimmicks are really cool
This pinball-like stage is ace
Fans shoot the disc in unpredictable directions
As the disc is making its rounds, you'd be wise to power up... watch
Now powered up, my possessed looking friend is free to advance upward, ready to unleash hell
With the boy cornered and a kink in the armor, one power shot is all that's left...
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The game has no music during gameplay (Hey, it's 2 megs after all). It's just the sound of the disc being hit back and forth. Just pop in your favorite CD -- problem solved!
I've yet to meet anyone who has played this and didn't like it. In other words, it has quite a few fans and I suspect you'll enjoy it too, if you can look past its license
On a final note, if you like this you may want to check out a very similar game also on Super Famicom called Pop'n Smash. I prefer Sanrio Smash, but the other one isn't half bad
