Big Boss

Video game bosses. I don’t get them.

Not their purpose. I understand that there needs to be something hard to test your skill at certain points in a game. But they're almost guaranteed to make me throw my controller in disgust thanks to their ridiculous size and strength.

Big Boss turns this all on its head by putting you in the shoes of that huge monster, hell-bent on destroying a feudal civilisation of humans, elves, and ninjas (ninjas? Yes, ninjas), solely because their castles spoil the view from your cave.

To achieve this goal, you have to do what every self-respecting large monster does - smash it all up.

Big Boss is a cross between a traditional side-scrolling beat-'em-up and role-playing game, with your boss levelling up and unlocking new goodies as you pound through 16 levels of defenders.

You move from left to right, with the screen stopping for each wave of human defenders to rush in from the sides in a futile attempt to stop you.

Much like the game’s premise, the controls are far from traditional.

Swiping horizontally smashes the kinghts, archers, and ninjas (ninjas? Yes, ninjas) with a hefty blow from your weapon, whereas tapping activates light attacks best used for juggling bodies in the air. Swiping upwards picks up objects, while swiping down rolls to avoid fire.

It’s an odd system that feels unnatural and clumsy when you first start the game - it never truly becomes second-nature.

Part of the problem is the game’s detection system. It often decides you don’t want to pick up and eat the health-giving princess when you’re about to die, instead making you roll across the screen into enemy fire.

This would be more frustrating if Big Boss wasn’t such a gentle game in terms of both difficulty and complexity. Every level essentially plays out the same: you smash things up, and move on.

The enemies you face are mere pawns to smack about helplessly as you cackle with laughter. And cackle you will, as Big Boss is a funny game, from the quirky human enemies and the odd alien cameo to the customisable parts of the boss man himself.

As you level up, more parts unlock that allow you to change your creature's appearance, from the style of his eyes to the boots he marches in. So if you’ve always wanted a giant snowman dressed as santa to come crushing down on a spirited bunch of Link (from Zelda) look-alikes, now’s your chance.

There may be little in the way of tactics or genuine difficulty, but the sharp graphics, humour, and range of unlockable costumes go a long way to keeping Big Boss fun.

The 16 levels will take only a few hours to play through, but the three mini-games add value to the package, especially as one of them (a Canabalt-style endless running game) could well have been released as a separate title.

So, while Big Boss may lack in subtle gameplay or refined controls, its brash enthusiasm and enjoyable customisation make it a title worth fighting for.