In the Godzilla films, the citizens of Japan don’t hesitate to run away from the big guy at first sight. After playing Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash, I feel the same impulsive need to flee as fast as I can.
The gameplay shares nothing with its console brethren; rather than a brawler, the DS version is a sidescrolling action title that makes players hit planes and boats on both screens. Grounded monsters are used on the bottom screen, and are paired with a flight-capable creature on the top. The screens hardly play differently, and only serve to make the game longer as switching from one to the other allows the inactive monster to rest. The attacks are few in number and similar in effect, making strategy almost nonexistent.
The player’s characters are overly weak, which makes the short game still somewhat difficult to complete in one sitting. Well…tough luck, I guess. Developer Santa Cruz Games, while saving unlocked characters, didn’t include a game save, so everything has to be played through at once. Having everything in succession shows just how repetitive the game is…while sometimes enemies look different, they have identical functions and behaviors.
To the developer’s credit, there is a single-card multiplayer option. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t include enough fun for even one person, so it doesn’t really matter.
Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash is arguably the worst DS game ever. If you have to buy it, make it a gift for someone you hate.
