Tetsumo Party is a short, casual game inspired by the classic Hole in the Wall series. The backstory – I guess – is that some sumos are having a party and they are playing a game. At the party.
So in essence, you pick a sumo or sumo-affiliated character (like a ninja). The controls are all four shoulders buttons, mapped to a limb. Pushing a button positions the limb via rotation of about four or so different positions to match the shape of an incoming wall – and hopefully then it will pass through you. The more walls you pass through, the more points you score. Simples!
That’s sort of all there is to it really, but it is quite good fun. Matching the angles of your limbs with the shapes to pass through the wall and chase your score is addictive. Hilariously, and a nice wrinkle to add, should you elect to extend both knees up, your sumo falls over – required for some poses, but does require some specific timing in order to not cause a delay for the next wall.
Graphically, it’s simple, 2D and colourful – but really Tetsumo Party is designed for local vs. play where you’re competing to see who can avoid the most walls at the same time. There are some other mechanics whereby your pants can fall down, something involving sushi and a slow motion mechanic. None of these are explained and sort of just happen as you successfully complete consecutive walls. Originally I assumed there were other modes involving these things, but they just exist as challenges for each character for playing along. Annoyingly these are all earned and unlocked in solo play only, which I think slightly defeats the point.
In the first 10 minutes of Tetsumo Party, you will have literally seen it all. Which is a shame, as a short game in a collection of others, this would be a good addition. But as a standalone release, it is very considerably lacking in depth and replay ability.
Reviewed on PS4
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