Like A Boss review - An action-RPG lacking in originality, fun, and loot

Dungeon crawlers are largely about one thing - loot. Throw enough of that at someone, and they'll happily grind through enemies for hours.

Like A Boss certainly has plenty of enemies to crush on your path to glory, but sadly not a lot else. It's slow to dole out rewards, and doesn't offer interesting enough gameplay to make up for it.

It has all the makings of a solid action-RPG, but it's so wrapped up in a confusing and uninspiring metagame that it's tough to find the fun.

Like A Boss has you taking control of large boss characters and battling scores of human foes, all of whom are apparently playing a massive MMO of which you are the villain.

It's simple to play - you tap the screen to move around, and tap enemies to start attacking them. There's also special skills to use when things get rough, again through a quick tap.

You can also set the game to auto-fight, leaving most of the basic actions to the computer while you handle the special moves.

And to be honest, it's pointless playing without auto-fight on. Your character can make otherwise impossible attacks when the computer is in control, making fights infinitely easier and nigh-on guaranteeing success each time.

Finish a level and you're rewarded with coins, XP, and a loot box. You can also earn the loot boxes by raiding levels you've already beaten, if you don't fancy playing through again.

Lead a workshop

It's all standard fare, but it feels so lacking. Combat is so dumbed down that your input is basically unnecessary, and your rewards are miniscule compared to how many enemies you grind through to get them.

The metagame surrounding everything isn't much better. Like A Boss throws a huge number of menus and stats at you within moments of starting, and never truly explains them.

Given that you'll need to navigate these screens to level up your skills and craft new equipment, it’s a shame that you're not given much of a chance to understand what the hell's going on in each of them.

On top of all that, the game just isn't as clever or funny as it thinks it is. The video game setting is never used to much effect, and you'll only remember this theme when enemies shout out random MMO-related phrases while you're obliterating them.

Remember birthdays

The whole thing is, in a word, disappointing. Like A Boss has all abilities, loot, and enemies to make for a fun dungeon crawler, but doesn't really make the most of them.

Loot is handed out in boxes once you finish each fight rather than during, enemies lack variety and spew out nonsense while you fight them, and the metagame is both uninspired and confusing.

It feels far too familiar, and its setting does little to differentiate the overall experience. If you need a new action-RPG fix, this probably won't be what you need.