Shakedown: Hawaii Reviews
Shakedown: Hawaii energizes its open-world satire with the transparent and ruthless cynicism of modern commerce. Its antihero's flagrant and invincible dishonesty would go beyond parody if it weren't kept in check by the player's underhanded complicity. I want the money numbers to go higher, too. And I'll destroy or ruin anyone in Shakedown: Hawaii's lush pixel paradise to see it through.
Shakedown Hawaii was absolutely worth the long wait it took to get here. From superb score attack challenges, a good story mode and just a bunch of stuff to do and fun to be had, Shakedown Hawaii ended up feeling just a bit better than the original RCR thanks to a bit more focus.
Shakedown: Hawaii builds on its predecessor by improving its visuals and music massively. It does keep the unique humour, story and over the top action though, while the city building systems are a welcomed addition and I feel most players will enjoy what's on offer. You get quite a bit of game for your money and there is a lot to do in this uncanny little title.
Shakedown Hawaii one-ups Retro City Rampage in almost every way, and is most certainly a must-play on the Nintendo Switch. Heck, it's a must-play on every system, because Vblank made sure to put it on just about everything. If you like things that are fun, you're not going to have much bad to say about this one. It would have been nice to pick from a man or a woman main character, but that's about the largest complaint I can levy. Go get this game.
Apart from the slight foibles I’ve mentioned, however, Shakedown: Hawaii is a solid experience, full of fun segments and a ton of laughs.
Shakedown: Hawaii delivers a unique brand of humor and some solid arcade action in a world players will love to destroy and then build back up with their own brand plastered right on it.
Bite-sized missions and an engaging empire-building layer make Shakedown: Hawaii a great destination – whether you have minutes or hours to spare
It's a small price to pay for low-stakes arcade open world antics. Shakedown: Hawaii might play similarly to Retro City Rampage, but it takes place in a markedly different world. It's more than enough to warrant giving both games a shot, and a worthy successor to a now-seven-year-old game.
It may not reinvent the wheel for classic Grand Theft Auto experiences, but it’s nice that it keeps that spin going.
Shakedown: Hawaii offers a wonderful cavalcade of carnage down in paradise, where making money is king. The place is inviting, but may lose its appeal for some after the jokes and violence get old.
Shakedown: Hawaii is better than Retro City Rampage in just about every way, but they find a way to compliment each other. The game’s biggest strength is not relying on references, even though I miss them. The story is very guided by being very hand-holdy. I wish you were given more creative latitude, but that’s where the free roam and arcade modes come into play. With a styling akin to a Super Nintendo or Genesis console, Shakedown: Hawaii looks and plays amazing. It’s being ported to literally everything, and no matter where you play it: you absolutely should.
Shakedown: Hawaii combines a fun top-down GTA world with a business sim to good effect; and although the game falls flat towards the end, my time on the island was a blast.
Though it suffers from some repetitiveness, Shakedown Hawaii is nonetheless a blast to play through thanks to its fun gameplay and great humor.
There’s no doubt that if you’re looking for a pretty mindless sandbox where you can enjoy blowing things up, getting into gunfights, and generally being a menace Shakedown: Hawaii provides you with ample opportunities for just that...
More than a "more of the same", Shakedown Hawaii improves almost everything it takes from Retro City Rampage and introduces new mechanics. Not everything works as it should, but it never lacks ambition. Moreover, his 16bit style is super cool.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Regardless of how "intense" it is (or isn't) Shakedown: Hawaii is still a fun, beautiful game, and I enjoyed my overall experience with it.
Hawaii Shakedown is one of the prime examples of open world dynamics with retro art style. If you missed old school GTA games, you should definitely try this game.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Despite some repetitive mission design, Shakedown: Hawaii manages to entertain in much the same way as its predecessor. It swaps out pop culture references for jibes at the modern world, and it's an angle that slots right into the GTA-esque design. The business management aspects are what will keep you hooked, with each day bringing you more and more cash to splash. Its brand of action is simple but satisfying, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy the game if you're after some breezy open world antics -- just don't expect it to blow your socks (and sandals) off.
Shakedown: Hawaii does many things right - its sense of humour, the 16-bit inspired graphics and the appeal of its game world are undeniably part of this group. Then there are other things which the game does not succeed in the same way, such as when it comes to keep up its pace interesting and compelling, mostly due to how repetitive its missions become and to the lack of sense of progression between the objectives. All factors considered, Shakedown: Hawaii is still a fun and enjoyable game, which could have been even better.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A bittersweet sucesor to an indie classic. Shakedown: Hawaii is a fun game that pokes fun at capitalism and unethical business practices that, in the end, falls flat.
Review in Spanish | Read full review