Gaming Target - Game Boy: Hot Potato!

Written by Matt Swider on July 11, 2001

Review: What's with BAM! Entertainment's obsession with the use of exclamation points?

Though there was no Tetris title alongside the incarnation of Game Boy as the system entered into its 32-bit era, and just considering the fact the series has been done to death with little chance of Сadvancement' over previous versions, BAM! Entertainment has taken the initiative to fill that gap. With Hot Potato! in stores just after Game Boy Advance's release into the U.S. market, we receive quite a unique title that's something of a puzzler, yet also, a bit of a shooter as well. It may seemingly have a bizarre style to it at initially, but after playing through the first level, it's evident that the storyline fits closely with the gameplay; something not found in a good deal of puzzle games out there.

Potatoes; something most men love, and small boy's, love to hate. Yet, Hot Potato! finds a way to deliver gameplay that can be enjoyed by all ages through its delicious flavor resulting from a unique recipe...err, storyline. The plot begins with a group of potatoes crash-landing into the Earth, who must regroup and return to their spaceship. This is where your job begins. Players are in charge of always moving bus that contains six spuds of either red or blue color. As the screen moves along, and your bus travels down the highways of Earth, players will have to match the colors of spuds scattered along the roadway with those on their bus by launching the three potatoes in the first row. It's possible to switch the arrangement of the spuds in a number of ways by rotating their order or using a button combo to flip their positions.

It's not possible to match every spud that's found along the road, however, clearing a pathway for the bus to pass through, is essential. Becoming trapped in front of a line of potatoes will cause a loss of life, as the impending screen that's shifting up, will soon crush you.

The game consists of two modes with seven levels each, and some bonus stages as well. The first is dubbed mission mode, where you must eliminate one specific type of spud, like worker, reader, or teaser, displayed with their unique animation. Once you reach the given goal amount, you will then be able to advance to the next level, which becomes more frantic than the previous. Taking more of the shooter aspect of the game, score challenge provides a mode where must reach a goal score amount to proceed to the next level. Many times, when you become stuck, the puzzle side of the game is unseen, as you start launching row after row of spuds forward, hoping to clear a path with a little bit of luck.

With an interesting style of gameplay and originality, players will surely be somewhat addicted after taking a bit of time to learn the concepts behind the game. With tunes you can expect from any given puzzle game, and cute alien sound effects from spuds, the sound department seems complete and very satisfying to say the least. The developer attempted every way possible to add effects to the visuals, such as numerous diverse animations within the spuds, and colorful surrounding environments. Though many won't realize these at first glance, and feel that the visuals seem unimpressive for a Game Boy Advance title, think you yourself; what great classic puzzle games have fantastic graphics anyways.