Making a portable beat-em up has always been a challenge. While handhelds typically seem better in my mind for RPG or slower paced games, there are always moments that we need a quick fix of some good ol fashioned ass kickery. Just released for the iPhone, SpareBytes’ new game “Stick Brawler” satisfy’s my need to jump kick multiple people in the head while stuck in traffic, all without getting arrested!
In my years of playing numerous handheld systems, finding a quality sidescroller/fighter has always been difficult, as making a balance between approachability and depth is always tricky. The game needs to be simple enough to pick-up and play on the go, yet if the game was too easy it would quickly get dull. With limited amount of buttons and screen/controller space most iterations of Final Fight type games frankly are either a cake walk or confusing as hell (wait, how do I pull off the super triple dragon kick using 2 buttons?)
Stick Brawler fills the niche of a portable brawler quite adequately, both combining a great, 3 button attack system (punch, kick, and fireball) along with a very responsive, virtual “dpad” control scheme. Surprisingly the controls were some of the best I’ve used on a fast paced iPhone game. The combos provided by combining different directional presses along with the attack buttons create a wide variety of moves for your character.
The presentation of the game matches the gameplay quite well. Stick Brawler, like implied in the title, uses classic stick men in a comic book style world. If you’ve ever watched Xiao Xiao’s Matrix-esque stick fighter animations, then you’ll have a pretty good idea what to expect. The sound effects and music are a bit repetitive but fitting for a beat-em up type game, with drum and bass loops getting you pumped to break a couple of stick arms and legs.
The true fun of the game comes from its addictive power up system. While the game takes place entirely on one level, more and more waves of increasingly tough baddies constantly ramp up the difficulty. Your character will get exp for every enemy killed, with more exp rewarded for performing complex combos. Once your character levels up, you are given the choice to upgrade one of several perks such as increased strength, stamina, energy (for fireballs), more item slots, etc. While this may sound relatively uninspiring, I actually got quickly hooked on upping my character. Being able to dish out more damage or shoot a stronger fireball was extremely satisfying. Best of all, when you die (and you will get killed often) though you lose some of your total score, you keep all your levels and upgrades, making the game one you can continually play.
Overall, Stick Brawler was great fun, and surprisingly well done for a brawler. It is the perfect game for quick action with a solid leveling up incentive to keep playing. From its comic-bookish presentation to its straightforward control scheme, Stick Brawler is exactly the type of game it aimed to be. The price is great for a game like this, and I hope that the developer adds more to the game - more levels, more enemies, and more action! To play a fast paced beat-em up on my iPhone was a task I approached with hesitation, but in the end I will say I legitimately enjoyed SpareBytes’ venture into brawlers. Check it out today and keep an eye out for download codes off our swag auctions later!
