Mini Hockey Stars

Hockey is the kind of sport that requires quite a bit of training, as well as specific equipment and protection layers. Although it can be played both on and off the ice, ice hockey is by far the most popular version, given the fact that it is featured in NHL, the biggest league of this kind out there. Unfortunately, the sport is only popular in a couple of countries, making it pretty difficult to get into it.

Turn-based action against other players or the AI

Mini Hockey Stars is an arcade game in which you have to defeat the opponent by scoring the most goals while taking turns to hit the puck. It’s a pretty unusual approach to the genre, but it works pretty well if you are a newcomer and you do not want to deal with complex gameplay mechanics. On top of that, it also features a couple of different game modes to keep you entertained.
As such, both teams start with a handful of players, although they cannot be controlled all at once. Instead, you get to choose one player and perform a single action per turn, which is to nudge it into a certain direction with the desired power, in order to hit the puck or achieve some other purpose. It can take a while to score a goal, but it gets easier once you get better at it.

Arcade physics and decent replayability

Naturally, you shouldn’t expect an actual simulation, so each hit has a pretty wild outcome once the puck is hit. This makes for more volatile matches, but it can also be frustrating because it’s difficult to anticipate the behavior of the puck in the beginning. Although you can adapt and learn how to take better hits, the game still feels rather cheap and restrictive.
Lastly, the graphics are nothing to write home about either, but they are not terrible either. In fact, they are quite colorful and shiny, in spite of the fact that the whole thing only takes a couple of megs on your hard drive. Everything else is as basic as it gets as well, so the game has the tendency to get boring after a few minutes.

A nice way to have a bit of fun with hockey

In the end, Mini Hockey Stars may not be the best thing for hockey fans, but the turn-based gameplay mechanics are quite fresh and enjoyable, at least until they get repetitive. Hence, it’s a great choice for casual gamers looking for some quick fun.