Great Toy Showdown Preview [PlayX4] — A mashup of genres come together to create simple fun

Recently I had the honor of attending PlayX4 in Gyeonggi, South Korea. While I was there, I met with the developers at SandyFloor and checked out their upcoming third-person PvPvE shooter game, Great Toy Showdown. The game dips its toes into various genres, having elements of battle royales and MOBAs, too.

At the start, four teams of two players each spawn on their own small platform and have to expand into the directions of various objectives by placing ground tiles. While en route to objectives, players will need to fend off hordes of NPCs, carving through them on the path to objectives. NPCs drop experience points on death, allowing you to grind and level up before facing the game’s next objective: bosses. Upon slaying a boss, players are rewarded with an upgrade. For example, I unlocked a fireworks launcher that passively targeted my enemies. Not only did it help me chew through the AI onslaught, but when players came along, it gave me a much needed edge in combat.

Fights between players are sudden and fierce. One second you’re casually exploring the toy-themed world, the next, a plush jaunts onto the scene and opens fire. It’s a rather fast paced game, as there are only eight players total, so every fight feels more consequential. You have to choose your weapon before loading into the match, and your options are a short-ranged carrot shotgun, a rapid-fire soda rifle, and a candy pistol with balanced stats. Each weapon has upgrades that can be unlocked during the match based off of a skill tree you select before the game starts.

The 2.5D graphics are a treat, they’re playful and stylized. From the arena to the preparation lobby, everything fits the fun theme, reminiscent of a child playing with toys in their bedroom. The game itself can be intense, but anyone can pick it up and have a good time. Great Toy Showdown strikes the perfect balance between strategic gameplay, with its skill trees and objectives, and easy to play fun with its cute artstyle, simple yet interesting weapons, and quick matches.

Everyone has their own room that works as the pre-game lobby. Currently, the only place of note in the player’s room is the weapon selection cabinet. However, there are plans to expand into more stalls, including weapons, emotes, skins, and an achievement gallery. You can invite friends to your room, and hang out with them pre-match to show off your crib.

Great Toy Showdown has a lot of promise, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. While the game isn’t out yet, it occasionally does open for play tests, so keep an eye out for those on Steam. Great Toy Showdown is set to be released in early access in October 2024 on Steam and sometime late 2025 for the Nintendo Switch port.

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