Firstly let’s talk about the information that comes with the game. The game was developed by I Fight Bears, I know the name of the company sounded a little funny to me too, but it works. This development house is based in North London, where they focus on delivering games that or original, and offbeat for a variety of platforms. Now here it is.
“Have you ever wanted to punch a bear IN THE MOUTH? When Tim Burr's family disappeared and his house spontaneously burst into flames he thought his day was as about bad as it could get. That's when his hand became self-aware and broke the horrific news that the world was now ruled by bears. Join Tim as he embarks on an epic battle across time and space, unraveling the bear-ridden damage to Earth's timeline. It's a bit like Quantum Leap but with more bears and lumberjacks. FIST OF AWESOME is a heartfelt love-letter to golden classics like Double Dragon, Streets of Rage and Final Fight. Prepare yourself for the most epic time-travelling-lumberjack-em-up OF ALL TIME!”
You know me I like to give the specs of the system that I’ve played the game on. So here we go.
SYSTEM SPECS: Operating System: IOS 7
REQUIRED SPECS: Operating system: iOS, Android, OUYA, GameStick (expanded PC & Mac versions to follow)
When the game starts up you get one or two funny loading screens. At least I chuckled a bit. Once that is done the menu screen loads and you have the option of choosing Arenas, Begin Legend, and More. The more option gives you the credits, as well as the option of resetting your game save. When you hit Begin Legend you start the game and it loads up into an introduction and that when you see our hero, a man with a beard, wearing flannel and living in a log cabin. He’s about to celebrate with his family when, from the looks of it he gets thrown into the future, and that’s when his hand starts to talk to him. The hand explains how Earths history got thrown off balance and it is his job to save it.
Now there are some things that I didn’t like about the game. First of all I didn’t like the controls. For me at least I found it awkward trying to maneuver my character. When I didn’t hold my thumb in the right spot the character would not move and get surrounded by the enemies and would eventually die because you couldn’t get the moves that you wanted off. This was due to the variety of swipes and taps that you would have to do that for me did not result in the moves that were show nor do the moves that I wanted to. Secondly, was the graphics they weren’t didn’t showcase the graphics ability of the iPhone but that was also part of its charm, and who buys an smart phone to play games anyways...
Let’s get on to the things that I did like about the game. It’s a side scrolling beat-em-up; I love those especially when using your special doesn’t waste your health. Secondly it’s innovative. I’ve never heard of a game company using a lumber jack as the hero and having him save the world with his talking hand from evil bears. I thought this was a good concept, but unfortunately like all beat-em-ups, is very repetitive. Thirdly I love the retro feel that it did give with the graphics it almost takes me back to the 8bit Nintendo era which is not bad at all.
This game will be available on iOS, Android, OUYA, GameStick with PC and Mac version to follow,but before ending this review let’s take a look at some of the features that will be implemented in the game.
- Humor - A delirious sense of humour reverberates throughout the whole storyline and action packed game play.
- Revolutionary Touch Controls - On mobile platforms the gesture based combat system allows for fast reactions, huge combos and an unparalleled move set.
- Amazing Graphics - The fast paced action is brought to life with gloriously retro-style graphics and animation.
- Bombastic Soundtrack - Showcasing the incredible talents of Echolevel aka Brendan Ratliff the FIST OF AWESOME music brings bac
- k hazy memories of feeding coin after coin into cabinets in smokey arcades.
Pricing will be as follows for the game USD $3.99, EUR €3.50, CAD $3.99, GBP £2.49. It is also available now for download on the following links:
iOS App Store Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fist-of-awesome/id701415127?ls=1&mt=8
Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ifightbears.fistofawesome