Beyblade VForce: Ultimate Blader Jam

Install Game

a game by	Full Fat Productions
Genre:	Action
Platform:	GBA
Editor Rating:	6.5/10, based on 1 review
User Rating:	6.2/10 - 11 votes
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See also:	Beyblade Games

Beyblade was one of the biggest toy-crazes of the 2000’s, and for good reason. Nothing compared to slamming those ridged spinning tops into each other in the playground, and everyone knew that guy who had custom built ones that would smash other people’s Beyblades into smithereens. It’s no surprise that the anime/manga/toy line would also see plenty of video game outings, and Beyblade V-Force: Ultimate Blader Jam, whilst not the best, might be the most interesting.

Let it Rip!

Released for the Gameboy Advance in 2003, Ultimate Blader Jam follows a group of Bladebreakers in their efforts to thwart a sinister group of bad dudes that are intent on stealing BitBeasts. It’s not the most in-depth story ever told, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. You’ll soon find yourself completing a series of balance-based challenges.

Marble Madness

Ultimate Blader Jam wears its influence on its sleeve, to the point of just ripping it off. The game is a isometric balance-based series of courses in which you must guide your Beyblade from point A to point B whilst avoiding various obstacles and trying not to fall off the course. It’s effectively Marble Madness with a spinning top instead of a marble, and it’s very obvious - even down to the sequence of squared textures.

Spin to win

Luckily, it’s not a bad Marble Madness clone, and does a couple of things differently. One of the pivotal mechanics of Ultimate Blader Jam is the SP (spin) meter, which decreases over time unless you spin over a certain tile, which will fill it back up. There are also boost tiles, that will send your Beyblade zooming in a certain direction, and jump tiles, that will allow your Beyblade to hop over obstacles. The other thing that’s done differently is the presence of enemy Beyblades, who will try to knock you off the edge of the course – if you knock enough of them off the stage, you’ll earn BitBeast power, which will allow you to perform a special attack. It does add a layer of complexity to the classic formula, and it’s needed to try and slightly set this apart from the genre pioneer.

6.5

Beyblade V-Force: Ultimate Blader Jam suffers from a lack of originality, but that doesn’t stop it from being a decent Marble Madness clone. It may do a few things differently, but not enough to set itself apart from the competition. It’s fun for fans of the series, but the gameplay is a little dated and primitive – even for 2003. For those who enjoyed the classic ball-rolling genre, this is a game for you, but it’s quite mediocre compared to titles like Kororinpa and Hamsterball.