Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl (2020)

Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl is a game that so faithfully mimics a classic NES beat 'em up, but lacks the fidelity, attention to detail, or variety of scenarios to fully achieve what it sets out to do.

Overall, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is an enjoyable title if you can forgive some of its issues. The overly aggressive AI, the short hit reach, and the classic game padding don't make for a pleasant experience once you notice them. However, the experience is solidly enjoyable, with some concessions made for those aforementioned flaws, and it accomplishes the rare feat of having the solo experience be a bit more fun than the multiplayer one. While fans of the duo will get a big kick out of this game, and even those who aren't familiar with these characters will enjoy their time with this title.

Perhaps if you wished that Double Dragon IV followed in the first two arcade games' presentation style, then Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl's 8-bit throwback approach is not for you. Regardless, for those of us who crave more in the same vein of Technōs NES bickety bam beat-'em-ups, then playing Mall Brawl may just be your retro Wolvie berserk style. What else are we gonna do? Snootchie Bootchies!

There’s slightly more fun on the cards when playing in co-op mode with a friend, as some of the game’s downsides can be easily counteracted with brute force by duos. If you’re a super-fan of Kevin Smith’s work, you can bump the score by a couple of points. However, as just another game floating in a sea of alternative investments, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl – Arcade Edition can easily be avoided.

Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl does a great job recreating the look and feel of an original NES release, but takes its retro inspired roots a bit too far and becomes a game which few but the most dedicated will finish. That said, I did enjoy my time with the game and catching the references to other Kevin Smith movies.