Battle of Toys Review

Wouldn’t it be great if toys came to life when we weren’t around like they do in Toy Story? Wouldn’t it be even better if instead of getting up to hijinks and adventure they just beat the stuffing out of each other instead? Battle of Toys seems to think that’s a great idea.

From their growing collection, players can choose up to 6 toys to take into battle with them, each with their own special attacks and wide selection of costumes. The controls prioritise reaction time and a set of touch gestures over a standard button layout, requiring players to stop the indicator in one of the green zones to launch one of two combos. One of a handful of reaction mini-games will then pop up to help maximise damage. There is no active defense ability to speak of though, so sometimes an attack won’t land because the opponent has literally beaten the player to the punch.

Players can switch between team members to strategically take down their opponent, whose difficulty can be adjusted for greater monetary reward (though there is nothing to indicate how your toys will fare against them beforehand). They must then be defeated in 30 seconds or less, so upgrades and temporary special attacks are a must to progress. There is a HUGE but linear story mode to complete, however there really isn’t a narrative to speak of, so I use the term ‘story’ lightly.

Players can build their toy collection by purchasing new toys with in-game currency, though the best toys are reserved for those with an abundance of crystals, available in bulk through in-app purchase. Though these toys are by no means essential, the fact that they are exclusive and priced in crystals feels a bit excessive.

Regardless, Battle of Toys is a light-hearted and fresh take on collectible-centric fighting games such as Injustice, going deeper into strategic possibilities by incorporating intricate upgrades and temporary boosts. It might lack the finesse or more compelling nature of its peers – which I put down to its original character roster and lack of narrative – but the enjoyable gameplay mechanic and longevity still makes it worth a look for fans of this type of fighter.