By: Robert Murphy
Yes, the caps are required for the title. Originally released for IPad and tablet devices but has now made it's way onto our Steam playlists, FIST OF AWESOME takes players back to good old fashioned side scrolling progression and beat'em format that I have so many fond memories of. And where most games that try to change platforms tend to fail, this game manages to stand strong for the simple fact that these types of games were meant for a joystick and buttons, not a touch screen, we've played these games in arcades for years. The game follows a simple lumberjack named Tim Burr who is happily enjoying a simple life with his family when a temporal shift alters your timeline and the dominant species on Earth becomes bears. Angered by the loss of your family you set out to fight these now intelligent beasts and other animals such as elk, deer and more with the power of the Fist of Awesome, who has possessed your hand and given you powerful abilities to fight with.
Combat is central to the game and straight forward, the game introduces you to your abilities with a short in game tutorial and then sets you loose to unleash your new found powers and restore the timeline to the natural order. Players can punch, kick, grapple, stomp and preform jump attacks for basic moves and also preform more powerful punches and uppercuts with the Fist of Awesome powers too. Your health is regained by preforming attacks on enemies and not getting hit in that amount of time, which is fairly easy to accomplish. Stringing together combos is the major key to things as it unlocks bonuses and more points that you need to level up your character more and more which gains you skill points to be earned and used on speed, health, fist ability strength and regular strength. Bonuses will also carry over from game to game as you play it and can also be used in FIST OF AWESOME'S arena mode where you are given various challenges to complete in a certain amount of time, this adds a bit of variety from the straightforwardness of the main story.
Frankly speaking, that is how you can describe the main story, it's a very straightforward affair where you must walk through levels punching out enemies and then beating a goofy boss that fits in with the theme of whatever level you're on. It doesn't leave you with the urge for continuous replay value but it's pretty fun when you're playing through it. Levels are filled with plenty of pun work, which you could guess was coming judging by your name being Tim Burr. But there's also plenty of pop culture humor thrown into levels as well, one point you're set in the middle ages fighting bears in tights and at the end I'm fighting a bear king in a room that curiously looks like the thrown room in Game of Thrones. The game is filled with these little gems and is the kind of thing that always makes me chuckle to see inside of a video game. Then of course we have the pixelated charm that the game already brings along with it that completes the package.
In the end, FIST OF AWESOME is a fun and enjoyable game to play through and brought back some enjoyable memories from early side scrolling gaming. My biggest complaint about the game is there really is no replay value to be had with a game like this, enemies are the same and follow the same pattern each time through. Arena mode does break up some of the monotony but not a whole lot and makes FIST OF AWESOME a game you'd probably play in short bursts. That being said, I got plenty of enjoyment out of the game as I plucked along knocking out the variety of bears and listening to the pleasant upbeat tempo for the games soundtrack.
Combat is central to the game and straight forward, the game introduces you to your abilities with a short in game tutorial and then sets you loose to unleash your new found powers and restore the timeline to the natural order. Players can punch, kick, grapple, stomp and preform jump attacks for basic moves and also preform more powerful punches and uppercuts with the Fist of Awesome powers too. Your health is regained by preforming attacks on enemies and not getting hit in that amount of time, which is fairly easy to accomplish. Stringing together combos is the major key to things as it unlocks bonuses and more points that you need to level up your character more and more which gains you skill points to be earned and used on speed, health, fist ability strength and regular strength. Bonuses will also carry over from game to game as you play it and can also be used in FIST OF AWESOME'S arena mode where you are given various challenges to complete in a certain amount of time, this adds a bit of variety from the straightforwardness of the main story.
Frankly speaking, that is how you can describe the main story, it's a very straightforward affair where you must walk through levels punching out enemies and then beating a goofy boss that fits in with the theme of whatever level you're on. It doesn't leave you with the urge for continuous replay value but it's pretty fun when you're playing through it. Levels are filled with plenty of pun work, which you could guess was coming judging by your name being Tim Burr. But there's also plenty of pop culture humor thrown into levels as well, one point you're set in the middle ages fighting bears in tights and at the end I'm fighting a bear king in a room that curiously looks like the thrown room in Game of Thrones. The game is filled with these little gems and is the kind of thing that always makes me chuckle to see inside of a video game. Then of course we have the pixelated charm that the game already brings along with it that completes the package.
In the end, FIST OF AWESOME is a fun and enjoyable game to play through and brought back some enjoyable memories from early side scrolling gaming. My biggest complaint about the game is there really is no replay value to be had with a game like this, enemies are the same and follow the same pattern each time through. Arena mode does break up some of the monotony but not a whole lot and makes FIST OF AWESOME a game you'd probably play in short bursts. That being said, I got plenty of enjoyment out of the game as I plucked along knocking out the variety of bears and listening to the pleasant upbeat tempo for the games soundtrack.
Good:
- Good old fashioned beat them up style game
- Humor and pop culture references hidden throughout the main story
- Arena mode adds more replay value
Bad:
- The main story doesn't leave you craving more
- Repetitive enemy types and playthroughs
Scully Rating: 6.5 out of 10
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