Developer: Afil Games Publisher: Afil Games Release Date: January 13, 2026 Available for: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch (version reviewed) Beetle Shock could be described in a sentence written in crayon on a napkin, and you’d lose nothing in terms of detail or value prospect. That’s not entirely a criticism, either – it is exactly what it looks like on the tin, short and slight yet adequate enough as a game to make the question of whether it’s worth your time more subjective an inquiry than normal. What we have here is a mascot platformer that owes part of its design to A Boy and His Blob , minus the jellybean-infused powers of a shapeshifting companion. Like the Boy of that game, Beetle Shock’s titular protagonist is limited in their mobility options; they can only run forward and back, jump, and perform a mid-air ground pound that smashes through breakable bricks and increases the height of jumps when hopping on mushrooms (this game's version of bounce pads). The Beetle...
Developer: Afil Games
Publisher: Afil Games
Release Date: January 13, 2026
Available for: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch (version reviewed)
Beetle Shock could be described in a sentence written in crayon on a napkin, and you’d lose nothing in terms of detail or value prospect. That’s not entirely a criticism, either – it is exactly what it looks like on the tin, short and slight yet adequate enough as a game to make the question of whether it’s worth your time more subjective an inquiry than normal.
What we have here is a mascot platformer that owes part of its design to A Boy and His Blob, minus the
jellybean-infused powers of a shapeshifting companion. Like the Boy of that
game, Beetle Shock’s titular protagonist is limited in their mobility
options; they can only run forward and back, jump, and perform a mid-air ground
pound that smashes through breakable bricks and increases the height of jumps when hopping on mushrooms (this game's version of bounce pads).
The Beetle is also extremely vulnerable, dying with one touch of any hazardous object, assuming they don’t just fall into the endless void below a given level. The idea here seems to be to reinforce the need for precise timing and careful jumps; it’s better to wait for a spinning fan to pass before bouncing to a platform, rather than rushing in and facing a quick death. It helps that there’s no time limit or lives system in place – you just keep trying a level until you get it right, with no lasting consequences for failure.
There’s collectables scattered across each level, one
variety that’s essential for progression, the other a glorified high score
mechanic. Every stage has a fruit that unlocks the exit door, as well as 30
fireflies to be picked up on the way there. As the game goes on, the path to
grab both types of collectable gets a bit more challenging and demands more
precise, complicated maneuvers – though never anything more involved than
“jump, ground pound or run in a particular direction at this exact moment”.
Do you get any reward for collecting all the fireflies across all 30 levels? Does managing this feat unlock anything special, like an extra mode, bonus levels, some on-screen indicator of having collected everything? Nope, you reach the end of the game, you get a message telling you how many fireflies have been collected, and then the credits roll. Hurray for you.
There’s a certain old-fashioned refusal to elaborate or even
imply depth here that, depending on one’s preference of platformers, could come
across as either infuriatingly vague or charmingly restrained. The Beetle is a
mascot character of the most antiquated vintage – competently animated and
colorful, yet devoid of any personality or purpose beyond serving as a player
avatar. There is no story here, no explanation as to why the Beetle needs to
collect these fireflies and fruits, no sense of a wider world that might invite
curiosity in the audience.
The game is also, as you may have guessed from the gameplay
description, not a fan of variety on the play side of things. Beetle Shock boasts
two whole background types for levels (daytime forest, and – GASP – nighttime
forest), two backing tracks, and maybe a dozen or so unique environmental
objects. A consequence of budget constraints, the result of a lack of ambition
and creativity, a mix of the two, or something else? You decide.
I’ll grant that it’s at
least nice to look at and listen to, even with the repetition of elements. It
may only have two types of level backgrounds but the sprite work balances
clarity with detail well, the path through levels is coherent and the colour
palette is pleasing to the eye. The daytime backing track has this lovely
flute-like feel that suggests a fantastical side to the game, whereas the sound
during the evening levels is evocative of a nightclub pianist’s performance
being accompanied by some light drumming.
What’s throwing me, more than anything, is that despite its
deficiencies Beetle Shock isn’t truly bad, just lacking and uninspired.
I would wager that you, the reader, have played at least one game in your life
and therefore have experienced something with more character, more thematic
intent, just MORE game in general than this. However, I cannot deny that Beetle
Shock has been competently produced, hitting the barest marks of a mascot
platformer within what limits have been set for the development team.
If you’re someone with particular nostalgia for
straight-to-the-point platformers without any kind of filler or narrative
pretense, or you’re looking for a quick experience that doesn’t demand
too much from the player, Beetle Shock certainly delivers that… but only
that. For everyone else, this is a hollow and forgettable version of what
plenty of other, more vibrant and entertaining games deliver.
SCORE: 5/10
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