Recently, there haven't been too many quality titles relased on Sony's little portable that could. The release schedule for the upcoming month or so is looking to rectify that. One title on that list, Hammerin' Hero, is hoping you'll take a chance on it's quirky protagonist. I had a chance to play through the first few levels of the game, and from what I've seen, Atlus could have a nice sleeper title on its hands.

Hammerin' Hero is the story of Gen, a carpenter with a penchant for justice. Though, to only call him a carpenter isn't exactly fair. Gen will take up other jobs as well, like a sushi chef, or a baseball player, or a DJ, as he tries to fend off an evil construction company trying to take over his town. Are you sold yet? Okay, let me try a little harder. The game is a side-scrolling beat 'em up, and across the stages I played through today, ranging from the streets of my town to the local amusement park, there were some interesting changes to the standard formula. Sure, standard foes only took a smack or two from my trusty hammer, but boss fights were actually kind of interesting. When fighting the boss of the construction yard, if he missed me, I could run up his weapon to smack him in the face. Alternatively, during the second board I had chosen to play as a sushi chef, and could feed the boss until he fell into a food coma. Once he was asleep, I was free to wail away on him until he was no more. The game does some strange things, but the gameplay choices fit perfectly with the style and feel of the game.

The look of Hammerin' Hero reminds me a lot of the PSP versions of Hot Shots Golf. Characters have comical proportions, and their emotions are conveyed through extreme over-exaggerations. All of that is matched up with nice looking cel-shading, and solid animations. I was really surprised how crisp and colorful the game looked, and would honestly continue playing this just for the style alone. There's a big depth of field, and even though your character only moves through 2-D space, backgrounds are extremely detailed. Controls are pretty simple, too. You can jump, crouch, or use one of your three attacks. There's a standard swing, as well as a sideways attack, which can send enemies flying into the background. Super attacks vary depending on what job you currently have selected, but they deal heavy damage no matter what costume you're currently donning. It's simplicity done right. At no time do you feel like it's dumbed down, but nothing is overcomplicated either.

So far I'm digging Hammerin' Hero. It looks nice, it's easy to get into, and the levels are designed to be short so that it's easier to play on the go. Right now my only issue with the game is that getting hit once by any enemy results in death. It's not really terrible, it's just that in a game like this I think three hits (minimum) should equal one life. It's a minor complaint, but I haven't played the whole game yet either. In the meantime, I'll be continuing my adventures as Gen, and you can look forward to a full review sometime in the coming weeks.

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