A VR game by the name of Smashbox Arena has to be good, you would think. It is available for the PlayStation VR, and requires you to own two PlayStation Move controllers. The mix of SOCOM and dodgeball is quite appealing and the game plays pretty decent. Flinging balls in the direction of opponents to eliminate them from the game is a game to our liking. However, the game is not without flaws, which can effectively ruin your gaming experience.
Smashbox Arena is fun but Needs Some Work
The concept of throwing balls against opponents to get hem out of the game is simple. Combine that element with hand cannons and teleportation and you get Smashbox Arena on PlayStation VR. Although the teleportation aspect sounds fun, it feels a bit laggy at times and needs some tweaking. Then again, you can also deflect attacks from opponents to put them in an awkward position. Games are played in a three-versus-three setup, with boots filling up the ranks in singleplayer mode.
Interestingly enough, the arena also provides players with powerups. Explosives are one of our favorite toys. This becomes even more fun when playing the game online. You can also practice skills against other players in the lobby until you are queued for a match. This is quite an intriguing aspect as games like these benefit from letting players warm up. The end goal is to score five points before your opponent does, which is pretty straightforward. This is a bit difficult in multiplayer, though, as finding players can be a major struggle more often than not.
Unfortunately, the graphics of Smashbox Arena are subpar. One could argue they are even downright ugly to look at, which is a missed opportunity. Although it is a functional design,we feel so much more could have been done. It’s not even in the same league as Rocket League by any means, and that game has no visible audiences whatsoever. The maps you play on aren’t much better when it comes to graphics, as they all lack style to make them unique enough.
Thankfully the controls for this game work as expected. Any game that requires proprietary Touch or Move controllers stands or falls based on how the controls feel. Smashbox Arena scores a lot of brownie points in this department. We can only hope to see some graphical improvements through patches. Additionally, if the online community dies out, you will need five friends to play with at all times.
