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Gamescom 2017: Metal Fist is a melee brawler for mobile from Vivid Games

Punch him

Gamescom 2017: Metal Fist is a melee brawler for mobile from Vivid Games

There's definitely something to Metal Fist. It's a thrash of a brawler, sharp when it needs to be, but comfortable enough to makes players for welcome when they first jump into its scraps.

Think Super Smash Bros, but on mobile, in 2D, with a couple of players, and a few bits and bobs of destructible scenery thrown in for good measure.

In one fight I got hit by a train. In another a switch at the top of the level set a cannon off, giving you rockets to dodge while you're trying to kick the face off of your opponent.

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The controls are pretty simple. You've got a couple of buttons to move left and right, and another couple to jump and attack. There's dashing too, and a special move that recharges over time.

There's no real complexity here, but the game lends itself to quick bursts of play. Jump in, smack someone around for a bit, then wander off and do something else.

The art style is pretty impressive, and there's a slickness to the production that exudes from every pore of the game. It's the sort of experience you won't want to take your eyes off.
Beat down

Whether or not there's enough here to keep you coming back time and time again is another matter. There's a fizz and crackle to the punches and kicks, but there's a chance they'll fizzle out after a little while.

Still, Metal Fist is an intriguing addition to a genre that's a little underrepresented on the App Store. And it'll be interesting to see whether it can fulfil its early promise.

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.