Brine has responded to the criticisms I have put forth in my initial review of their new mobile game, Hotshot, in the best possible way: with an update designed specifically to address those criticisms. I’ve spent a week playing the game with the new update, and am ready to re-review the game.
But first, here is the full list of changes the update addresses:
I was very excited upon first seeing this update description. My main frustration was the inconsistent aiming controls, especially the “random ground or ceiling shots.” The other tweaks, like the game not ending in the middle of your throw and added time, are plusses as well. So how did the update actually perform?
First off, the aiming control is drastically more precise and consistent across levels. In fact, the controls were so different that I basically had to relearn to play game. It was very difficult for me to adjust, but after a few days I seemed to have gotten the hang of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EN9wSjmEKE
That isn’t to say that the game is easier, though. In my opinion, the new controls have made the game much more difficult, as you have to be very exact in your shots. This isn’t really a “negative” point about the game, but I think it is important to note.
The most important aspect of the update is that they removed the glitch that would throw the ball straight up or down for no reason. However, when I was first playing with the update, I thought there was a new glitch that had replaced the old ones. When aiming at low shots, I would often not actually shoot the ball, but rather, for lack of a better term, throw a pump fake. This became very frustrating, but I eventually realized that if I flicked with my fingers lower on the screen to begin with, this “pump fake” no longer occurred. Keep that in mind while playing with the new update!
Another thing to note is that your high score and high streak counts will be deleted when you update the game. You will still have all the gear and levels unlocked which you previously had, but the scoreboard will no longer show your old stats.
Overall, I’m mostly just really impressed that Brine took the time to directly address the issues with the game that consumers were facing. If that isn’t the definition of customer service, I’m not sure what is!
