Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl Critic Reviews

The Arcade Edition of Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is a substantial improvement over an already great classic-style beat 'em up.

Anyone picking up Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl will know what they're getting into from the jump. The 8-bit action will have a hard time attracting newcomers to this style of game, but it does successfully capture both the spirit of classics like Double Dragon and the vibe of Kevin Smith's modern output. Co-op play does shine brighter than solo brawling, and the game doesn't come close to modern favorites like Streets of Rage 4, but there is a lot to like for someone who just needs a new NES-style fix in 2021.

It's fun, the old-school graphics look great, and developer Interabang Entertainment filled the game with winks and nods that fans will definitely appreciate. The difficulty level might turn off less-experienced gamers, and it's on the shorter side, but these are minor quibbles. This is well worth a purchase for Askewniverse fans. Snoogans.

Is a fairly solid beat ’em up paying homage to the greatest of Kevin Smith’s greatest gags worth a full fifteen dollars? While the enjoyment of it seems a bit situational, if you’re a fan of Smith’s comedy hijinks and want a playable museum of his best, I’d say that fifteen’s worth it. While the challenge is there and the combat satisfies, it doesn’t strive to make any new ground in the genre, other than a couple of tricky levels inspired by games of the era it aims to imitate. This is perfectly fine because it does all that it needs to with what it is, a simple NES throwback with some 90’s movie flair that thrives for nostalgia in more ways than one.

Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl does a great job recreating the look and feel of an original NES release, but takes its retro inspired roots a bit too far and becomes a game which few but the most dedicated will finish. That said, I did enjoy my time with the game and catching the references to other Kevin Smith movies.

While the challenge may be a little too steep for some, gamers from my era should know exactly what to expect. It by no means does anything new with the genre or gameplay but was an entertaining yet frustrating few hours of nostalgia gameplay I mostly enjoyed aside from the final two levels. It's a good thing I’m the perfect demographic for Jay and Silent Bob – Mall Brawl; an 80’s NES kid that loves Kevin Smith movies. Snoochie Boochies.

Overall, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is an enjoyable title if you can forgive some of its issues. The overly aggressive AI, the short hit reach, and the classic game padding don't make for a pleasant experience once you notice them. However, the experience is solidly enjoyable, with some concessions made for those aforementioned flaws, and it accomplishes the rare feat of having the solo experience be a bit more fun than the multiplayer one. While fans of the duo will get a big kick out of this game, and even those who aren't familiar with these characters will enjoy their time with this title.

Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is a decent beat’em but it takes a lot of patience to truly enjoy.

As a retro-throwback, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl does its job extremely well. Heck, in some ways it does it too well. If you were the type who grew up on these games, I can say with all due respect that you will probably have a good time with this if you want to connect with your inner child.

As a big Kevin Smith fan, I was looking forward to reviewing this game as I thought it might be reference heavy. It was, but some were more subtle than others and required you to know about most of his catalogue to get the references. It was an OK playthrough but that was more because I enjoyed the Double Dragon nostalgia feel. This feels halfway between a hard-worked fan-created effort and a cash grab of reskinning an older game.