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Here we have it, our first review of the year! This blaster made an early appearance at a Target near me for $50, and I just had to grab it off the shelf. The Hypnos introduces a magazine fed, pump-action blaster with a folding stock, and it does its job quite well. If the Hades wasn’t quite your style, and the Dart Zone Powerball/Adventure Force Titanium just isn’t your cup of tea, the Hypnos should serve you well.

Back to Teams

The Nerf Hypnos marks a return to the Red v Blue motif for the large Rival blasters, after the Hades and Prometheus pushed the Phantom Corps line last year. The Hypnos also once again uses those sometimes-neglected Rival magazines (and comes with two). It also features two tactical rails, and includes retaining clips for the extra magazine.

The magazines load in the top of the blaster, in a manner similar to that of the Atlas. Ejecting the clip pops it back about an inch, making for easy reloading. The main grip is large, smooth, and comfortable to use.

The Hypnos is notable for the inclusion of a folding stock, which clips onto the right side of the blaster when not being used. When in use, it makes for a rather long blaster, almost on par with the Hades. If you have shorter arms (and don’t mind not shouldering the blaster), the folded stock doesn’t get in the way of actual blaster operation. That makes for a blaster that can be used by a much wider range of people.

The pump action has a solid feel to it, as you’d expect from a Rival blaster. The pump grip is large and smooth, but extended use might see some issues with wet or sweaty hands.

Opening It Up

The Hypnos has the expected features on the inside – a geared priming system trades off priming distance in order to allow the compression of a strong spring inside the plunger tube. What’s especially interesting is the method of loading a ball for firing.

The Hypnos features a moving barrel that rotates upwards on priming. This lines up the back end with the magazine, and the barrel is tight enough to only permit the loading of one ball. As it currently stands, I cannot foresee a way in which you could double load the blaster in normal use, with any of the common ammo brands available in stores. There is a jam button, however, should something happen.

Note that the assembly within doesn’t like to be taken out; it is a pain to correctly seat the plunger tube and associated parts back in place. Not impossible, but certainly difficult.

Performance

The Hypnos averaged 99fps in my testing, just on the edge of the 100fps claim that is always attached to primary-sized Rival blasters. The Hypnos does not feature slam fire, and the best rate of fire I could get was two balls per second.

Last Thoughts

The Nerf Rival Hypnos is a worthy blaster for fans of the series, and especially those that may not be the biggest fans of the Hades. It has the power you’d expect, an acceptable rate of fire, and the quick reloading that comes with the use of magazines. It’s still a rather large blaster, but the folding stock helps to make it a bit more friendly for smaller arms.

There are other options with higher capacities or lower prices, but the Hypnos fills in its niche quite nicely.