Mega Coin Squad – Crazy fun for multiplayer parties!
Mega Coin Squad from Big Pixel Studios and Adult Swim Games is going straight on my list for best party game of 2014! It’s a multiplayer competitive platformer that seems designed to press all of my fun buttons. If I could set up one of those old 4-player arcade cabinets just to play this game, parties around here would be a riot. Of course, the game also has a single player campaign so you can still play it solo if the rest of your friends have passed out after an all night tournament. Everything about Mega Coin Squad captures the feel of an old style arcade game. Check out this video of our first multiplayer experience.
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Mega Coin Squad, from my personal experience, is best as a multiplayer game. It was fun with two of us and a complete blast with three. I can only imagine that maxing it out with a fourth player would have led to more yelling and laughter. Of course, the big selling point is that it’s four player local multiplayer. There are so many online options out there, but there are very few solid local multiplayer games for the PC. Being social is what enhances Mega Coin Squad, so don’t just sit there like a lump when you play. The graphics are awesomely cartoony, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the voice work is sparse yet pivotal. Both the announcer and the player quips will get you to immediately parrot or comment if you’re anything like those of us here at Dorkadia.
Super frenetic action is the name of the game in Mega Coin Squad. Play is broken down into tournaments where players face off in a variety of match types. The first player to achieve the set number of victories takes first place and the runners up feel the burn of their own shame. Each of the five character options function in essentially the same way, so all players are roughly equal in the coin filled arenas of doom and torment. There are four types of matches: hold the rainbow, deathmatch, bank the coins, and mega coin. Levels are procedurally generated and change constantly during matches as well. Permanent (for the duration of the tournament) power-ups are available in between matches. The better you do in a match, the more power-ups you receive at the end of it. Dash powers, machine guns, rocket launchers, and invincibility are just a few of the radical upgrades you can get to smash your buddies with. This game refuses to be boring!
Playing by yourself is always an option.
Yes, if your friends abandon you because you kick too much ass, there is always single player. There are 16 single player levels filled with coins, pigs that need filling, and creatures intent on shoving their pointy bits into your soft flesh. It’s not nearly as pleasant as you might think. Like the multiplayer maps, single player maps continually change and also respawn enemies. They’re tests of strategy, prowess, and nerves. Frankly, I swear a lot while trying to play them. At the end of a level, a diamond is awarded for completing in the time limit, not taking any damage, and banking all the coins in one go. For every diamond earned, a new power-up can be attained between levels. Any power-up in a player’s possession when they move between worlds is kept for the rest of the campaign. So get all the diamonds and don’t fuck up!
Bottom line here is that Big Pixel Studios has knocked it out of the park with this game. Mega Coin Squad is sure to please nearly any party game loving player that doesn’t suck ass at 2D platformers. My biggest piece of advice is to play on controllers. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL YOU HOLD SACRED, PLAY USING CONTROLLERS! Keyboard controls are present, but they drove me up the wall trying to use them. Is that a fault with the game or with me? I don’t know, but I know it’s a quick and easy remedy to plug in a gamepad. Anyway, I cannot recommend this game enough! You can pick it up on Steam starting today.
