EA set to hit mobile gamers with Facebreaker

Fans of lighthearted pugilism – and I think that’s most of us – might be interested to learn about EA’s forthcoming mobile brawler, Facebreaker. During a recent visit to their London offices, we were shown a few of the game’s notable features.

This is looking to be a very accessible take on boxing, with a side-on view limiting spatial concerns to either backing away from a marauding opponent of moving in for the kill.

The controls are shaping up to be equally focused, although there's a layer of depth that EA hopes will reward more than mere button mashing.

‘Up’ on the D-pad sends a solid swing at your opponent’s face, ‘down’ is a body shot, while hammering ‘okay’ will let loose a flurry of jabs. Pushing away from your opponent will bring up your defences in time-honoured one-on-one beat-‘em-up tradition. 'Forward' simply moves you towards your opponent, although a double tap will push them, breaking their block.

The really damaging stuff happens when a three-level bar – activated by successful vanilla attacks – fills up. Depending on the stage at which you activate it (by pressing and holding ‘okay’ until your gloves glow, then tapping it again) your character will unleash one of three brutally over the top attacks.

Of course, charging such a move leaves you vulnerable to attack, so EA's clearly aiming at a finely balanced game of risk and reward.

The characters themselves are typically larger than life affairs, and are animated in a slick cartoony fashion using the art assets from the original console game. There are nine to unlock which, along with the game's five belt classes, should provide a decent challenge in career mode (known here as ‘Brawl’).

Another sign of the game’s lighthearted intent is the ability to take a picture of someone using your phone’s camera and import it into the game. You can then pound on the person in a simple mini-game, causing the person’s face to distort in comical fashion.

The game’s set for a May 14th release, by which point we should have a knockout review for you.