[Playing…] Shrek SuperSlam

Shrek is a character who had his greatest moment of glory a little over 10 years ago. That success led to related products, among which were the always striking video games.

Maybe no Shrek game was the best of its generation, but some of them were pretty good and that's why I want to dedicate this article to them. Shrek SuperSlam, a massive fighting game where we can control some characters from the movies and use the settings and objects available in them to our advantage. This game was released on desktop and portable consoles, although I will focus on the first version, which came to Gamecube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Windows.

Shrek SuperSlam could be defined as the mix between Super Smash Bros. and Power Stones, since it is a fighting game where we can move freely through three-dimensional settings, use objects as weapons and we obtain victory by throwing rivals off the stage.

When it comes to fighting we can select between Shrek, Fiona (human), Fiona (Ogre), Donkey, Puss in Boots, Gingerbread Cookie, Robin Hood, Quasimodo, Prince Charming, Cyclops, Anthrax the Unicorn, the Black Knight, Moon the Witch, Humpty Dumpty, Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf in Granny's Clothing, Pinocchio, a Gnome, Captain Hook and a Dragon-Donkey breeding.

Many of these characters have to be unlocked, but it's worth doing so to see the variety of each one's attacks and their alternate outfits (Fiona with the the bride of frankenstein, Pinocchio as a mad scientist, Gingerbread cookie with rapper's clothes...).

In addition to being able to run, dodge, jump, move quickly, bounce off the wall, grab and cover, each character has a specific strength and speed (which will be especially noticeable when moving around the stage and stunning opponents), their own combos (sequences of buttons between the two attack buttons) and a special super attack that they can use for a short period of time when they have filled the SLAM marker that appears at the bottom of the screen. That super attack can knock enemies off the screen with a single hit and it will be the key to obtaining victory.

We will gain one point each time we kick an enemy off the screen, but every time they kick us out they will subtract one, so we will have to try to get the Super Slams to hit more than one enemy to have an advantage. When it comes to punishing our enemies (and filling the SLAM marker) we can also use elements of the scenario such as a weapon or projectile. But be careful, if the opponent is fast enough he can use his shield to block the object and return it to us. It may not seem like it, but the truth is that the game can become quite technical if we play seriously and know in depth the possibilities of the character and the scenario where we fight.

Recognizing and using the elements of the scenario is basic to survive. in Shrek SuperSlam, almost as much as knowing how to move around them and look for the place where we have preference within it. There are quite a few stages (some of them unlockable) that represent fairy tale areas, such as a castle, a candy house or a giant's breakfast table, although my favorite is one where we fight on top of a birthday cake held by the giant version of Gingerbread Cookie that appeared at the end of Shrek 2.

To liven up the game a little more, special objects will appear that will allow us to have some type of advantage (stun rivals, be more resistant, be able to shoot enemies...) so it will also be vital to go after them before our rivals.

Between character attacks, interactive scenarios, and items, it won't be surprising if I say that a game of Shrek SuperSlam With 4 players it can be quite chaotic, but that is precisely its charm, just as it happens in this type of games.

Although these 4-player games are the main attraction of the game, the solo player will also be able to enjoy a simple and short story mode, a training mode, a single game mode, and a challenge mode, which is where we will spend most of the hours, due to the enormous amount of tests and battles to overcome and the juicy reward of unlocking scenarios and characters.

As a curious note, I would like to say that the game is dubbed into Spanish (at least in its PAL version) but that the voices are not the same as in the Shrek movies (even though they try to look similar). I also find it worth mentioning that the main theme of the game has a fairly similar rhythm with Blitzkrieg Bop of Ramones, at least in its first seconds.

I admit that this game It has given me hours of fun (and it will continue to work because I haven't unlocked everything yet) and although it is true that its appeal increases significantly if we are fans of the Shrek movies, I think that once you have learned how to play, the least that matters is whether you like them or not.