Blazing Fists
|
| Blazing Fists

For whatever reason, men like fights. But while we like watching fights and the idea of winning them, most of us don't really want to be in one.

That's where armchair pugilism comes in: whether it be Rocky or Mortal Kombat, the fighting genre will always be a staple in the male cultural diet. Put together such a game with a seemingly random group of characters who like the odd scrap, and you end up with Blazing Fists, a real mixed grill(ing) of a game.

Whereas most beat-'em-ups look to recreate menacing individuals with dark and troubled souls, Blazing Fists goes in a completely different direction, mixing monkeys with robot children, and pitting a mantis against a ninja.

And just to make each fighter stand out even more, their special moves are all unique. The giant ape beats his chest and then his opponent as though playing a set of drums, while the mantis claws at his foe until they're in pieces. The robot kid just zaps his enemy into an electrified pulp.

The range of moves and individuality that each character possesses is the key ingredient of Blazing Fists. Instead of being lumbered with the generic strikes that every other beat-'em-up seems to feature, this one brings something fun and new into the ring.

Each move is easily applied with a quick key press or with a combination of buttons and a direction, which keeps the game flowing with relative ease. Defensive blocking is also important, with a full selection of moves catering for this as well – just in case you're facing a particularly insistent bout of pummelling.

Visually, the animation is superb for a mobile outing. The players move with a fluidity and style that's rarely seen on mobile phones, and they're responsive too. Press a button and they'll punch, right there and then, as opposed to causing your character to delay for a second as he/she/it ponders a pacifist lifestyle. Keep pressing it or alternating it with another move and you'll manage combos or multi-hit moves.

As such, Blazing Fists really does behave like a proper fighting game should, with the immediacy and variety that's crucial to the genre.

We do have a couple of criticisms, however. Though the characters look the part, the backgrounds certainly don't. With just a simple monochrome screen for the fighters to play against, there isn't any sense of progression as you take on each new opponent.

More importantly, while each fighter is different, the way in which they're defeated is pretty much identical, consisting of hitting them repeatedly as they drop their guard. This is certainly true up until the later stages of the game, and it means that you don't need to bother developing different tactics for different enemies.

This over-simplicity spoils what would otherwise have been an excellent mobile beat-'em-up. Instead of a challenging and genuinely involving game, Blazing Fists turns into a conveyor-belt experience where, despite the unique qualities of each opponent, you rely on the same basic strategy to overcome them.

An interesting addition to the pocket fighting genre, Blazing Fists squeezes all the entertainment it can from its novel characters, and there's no doubting the game's style. It's just a shame that there isn't enough variety to hold your attention for any great length of time.

We like a simple scrap, but not too simple.

Blazing Fists

There's plenty of variation in the characters, but no inspiration leftover for the rest of the game
Score