Game Reviews

Fist of Fury

Star onStar onStar onStar onStar off
|
iOS
| Fist of Fury
Get
Fist of Fury
|
iOS
| Fist of Fury

Fist of Fury is a wonderful slice of swipey violence. A hideous compulsion loop wrapped up in Kung-fu trappings that's almost impossible to put down once you've picked it up.

It shows how simple, well implemented gameplay can be combined with touchscreen controls to great effect.

And while it doesn't have too many surprises up its sleeve, the crack of its incessant rhythm means that you'll jump into it time and time again.

Kick it

You play a character stood in the middle of a crossroads. Ninjas spill in from all four sides and it's up to you to repel them. If one hits you then it's game over.

All you can do is swipe on the screen. Up to attack up, down to attack down, and so on. When you inevitably mess up your score is counted and you're chucked back to the menu screen. Where you'll instantly tap to play again.

When you find the beat in the later sections of the game, and you're swiping a different direction every half a second, there's something surprisingly zen about Fist of Fury.

And when your efforts are rewarded with a super move that smashes everything on the screen into oblivion you can't help but do a little cheer. Only once though, because cheering often results in death.

And also punch it

Yes it's a big wodge of silly violence, but it's done so well that it twists its way into your psyche almost effortlessly. Finding that perfect swiping action becomes an obsession, and pushing up your high score becomes a painful addiction.

There's no real change here, mind. You unlock different heroes, but they all play in the same way, albeit with slightly different super moves.

But the sheer joy of swiping your way through hordes of foes is pretty hard to top. This is pocket-sized arcade gaming at its finest, and it's well worth a look.

Fist of Fury

A brilliantly addictive abstracted brawler, Fist of Fury deals out compulsive kicks in every bite-sized playthrough
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.