Mix+Smash: Marvel Super Hero Mashers is an action packed Superhero game created by Disney. It is designed for children aged 6 to 8 and is free to download with in-app purchases. It promises hours of fun for your children, but does it deliver on this promise?
We have tested and reviewed this app to help you decide whether it is suitable for your children to play. Keep reading for information about the game, pros and cons, and our recommendation.
Overview
- Cost: Free to download with in-app purchases Age: Suitable for children aged 6 to 8
- Space: Takes up 135 MB of space on your device
- Software: Requires a minimum of IOS 7 operating system
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Combat, Superhero
- Educational or Entertainment: Entertainment
This game is based on the popular range of Marvel Mashers toys, which allow children to mix and match body parts from different MArvel characters to create their own hero.
On this app, children are able to create their own hero in the Mixlab, then use it to save the world by defeating the villain. Their hero will engage in one to one combat with the villain, using the various abilities of the characters included in the hero they designed.
The controls are fairly easy to use and quick to learn. The game mostly involves tapping as it is designed for use on touchscreen devices. However, there aren’t really any instructions so you have to learn through trial and error initially.
There are various levels to complete and endless combinations of characters so the game has longevity. To progress to the next level you need a certain number of points, which requires you to repeat some levels and makes the game last longer.
As you build up your points you can also earn rewards like more health and power for your character, and you can unlock special moves unique to each hero. In Smash mode you can trigger those special moves to cause maximum damage to the enemy.
Children will enjoy seeing the Marvel Masher toys in action on the screen fighting the villain. This will help them to enjoy the toys even more, and engage their imaginations next time they play with them.
Younger children particularly enjoy the humor in switching up body parts of different characters so the mixlab will provide lots of laughs! They will be entertained before they even start the combat section of the game.
Fans of the Marvel universe enjoy being able to fight villains from different films in one game. A hero with Iron Man’s hand can fight spiderman’s nemesis, a hero with Hulk’s arm can defeat Thor’s enemy- the possibilities are endless!
There is no cost to download the game, and it comes with two heroes- Hulk and Groot. However, in order to gain access to more heroes you have to purchase them individually.
You may only want to purchase one or two more, but the game is designed so that the powers of each character are needed at various points in the game in order to progress through the levels and eventually complete the game successfully.
The game has clearly been designed to advertise Marvel products to children to encourage their parents to buy them. The game is frequently interrupted by advertisements for the Marvel Masher toys which are related to the game.
Children don’t seem to mind the interruption, but they may start nagging you for more toys! Even if you purchase all of the characters, there is no way to stop the adverts.
Whilst you clearly have to sink a bit of money into this game, it is entertaining. The element of mixing heroes to create your own, unique character is original and engaging for children.
It would arguably be better to have a one off purchase fee up front which allows all of the characters to be unlocked at different points throughout the game.
More characters could become available at each level, or you could have the option to buy characters with the coins that you can earn through the game.
One of the downsides to this game is that they don’t seem to be updating it with regular content. Once you have purchased all of the heroes and completed the levels there is nothing else to do unless you want to play all the levels again.
If there were new levels to play then it would feel more worth spending the money on the characters, as you would be able to keep returning to the game over time.
This game is designed for a target audience of ages 6 to 8, but it could actually entertain children up to 10-12 years old, especially if they are big fans of the marvel universe. There are also adults that enjoy playing the game.
Some of the cartoon violence may not be suitable for some 6 year old children if they are particularly sensitive, but if your child enjoys the marvel films and knows how to play touchscreen games then they won’t have any issues with this app or it’s content.
There are no sexual references, no drug or alcohol use by the characters, and no bad language, so it is suitable for young children. Whilst there is animated cartoon violence, it is not gory in any way. The combat includes kicking, punching and using the special abilities of the different heroes.
This game takes up 135 MB of space on your device which is quite a lot. However, the graphics are really good and you get to watch exclusive animated shorts of the marvel character. This high-quality content means that the game can sometimes lag and freeze.
Occasionally it will crash completely and you will have to restart it. However, Once you have downloaded the game to your device it can be played offline which is great if you are in an area with limited signal.
This game is for entertainment rather than being educational, but it does have some learning benefits. The Mixlab encourages creativity and experimentation and the game teaches children strategy, as they learn which abilities work best against the villain and make adjustments to their hero accordingly.
Tips for playing the game:
We have put together some useful hints and tips to give you a head start and make the game even more fun.
If you use the head of the character who is most heavily featured in that level, your hero will be able to cause 25% more damage to the villain. For example, the first level is based on Hulk, so if you choose his head in the Mixlab you will be more successful when in combat with the enemy.
Speed is key with this game. If you tap the screen as fast as possible it will allow you to get more combat moves in and defeat the enemy faster.
Each hero has three attributes. ‘Strength’ determines how much damage their moves will do to the enemy. ‘Health’ is your character's stamina.
'Special’ is their signature move that causes the most damage to the enemy. Get to know your heroes and play with the combinations until you get the perfect blend of all three attributes.
Replay previous levels as an easy way to get more points. Earning more points will help you to earn rewards and progress through the levels. If you replay the same level, it will usually be at a greater difficulty, so you earn more points each time you play.
Restore your health with pizza! As you play the game, you earn gold coins. You can use these coins to buy pizza, which restores your character's health. Also, by including some Hulk parts in your hero their health will deplete slower as he has the most stamina for battle.
Summary
In summary, this is a fun game based on an original idea. Marvel fans will love switching up the characters and making adjustments to their hero to allow them to defeat the villains.
Working through the levels is rewarding and you can replay levels to earn more points. You get exclusive access to short animations of your favourite Marvel heroes.
However, the in-app purchases make this game quite expensive to play and it is not updated with regular new content. It can sometimes lag and it takes up a lot of space on your device.
Overall, this is an exciting action-packed game which can provide hours of entertainment if you are willing to pay the money to unlock all of the characters.
Top Parenting TipWhilst games like this can be harmless fun, we recommend talking to your children about why using violence to solve disputes in real life is not okay. Make sure they can distinguish between how the character acts in the game and how they should act in real life.
