I’ve had my grubby mitts on a number of demos this weekend, and the latest new game to cross my path is Toy Smash Kaboom!, an upcoming auto-battler with a heavy emphasis on inventory management.
There have been a couple of notable games based on a similar inventory theme (Backpack Battles and Backpack Hero respectively, and God of Weapons is worth a mention, too) but Toy Smash Kaboom! does things a little differently.
The new demo on Steam has just landed as part of Next Fest, although this was the first time I’ve had the chance to play it.
The first thing that struck me was the papercraft art style. I’ve always enjoyed this look, and as a family we’ve had a lot of fun with Media Molecule games for this very reason. This is a bit more cartoony, more sticker-like than papercraft, maybe, but either way I very much enjoyed the aesthetic.
The gameplay is a mixture of simple inventory management and then automated pitched battles. Within the prep phase, you can combo items to create new ones or upgrades, and then you can spin things around to make them fit just right in your pack, which has limited inventory slots that you expand over time.
Your units – or summons – have a weight limit, which keeps your fighting force in check, but you can bolster your various pieces with additional upgrades, spells, and buffs via a range of items that don’t have a weight penalty.
Once the backpack is arranged and your shopping is complete, it’s off to battle. Herein the toys in your backpack come to life on the table and engage in an epic battle against the toys owned and operated by your opponent.
This part of the game seems fully automated, so it’s a case of sitting back and seeing how your planning stacks up. There’s a bit of back and forth before finally either you or your opponent gets battered by the opposing toy army – the ol Kaboom! alluded to in the title…
There are loads of things to consider, a bunch of items to buy and then craft/combo as you look to construct the perfect backpack of toys. I’ve really enjoyed this first look, and when Toy Smash Kaboom! is finished I’ll return with my backpack ready to go.
