One Finger Death Punch 2

Genre: Arcade

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Alternating)

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Review:

One Finger Death Punch 2, like its predecessor, is an Arcade-style game with a simple premise, simple controls, and simple visuals. Players control a generic stick figure on a 2D plane fighting other stick figures attacking from either side using only two buttons – one for each side. This game was originally released on PC in 2019 and ported to other platforms, including Nintendo Switch, in 2020.

Right now, this probably sounds like a wholly disposable shovelware game, right? Ha, no. Nooooooo…

In terms of visuals, this game certainly is simplistic, but that’s not to say that it’s lacking visual flair. The stick figures are well-animated and perform a wide variety of martial arts moves apparently inspired by every action film ever, from the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan kung fu flicks to Star Wars to The Matrix and even Mortal Kombat. These figures fight in front of 2D backdrops that look vaguely like scenes from kung fu action films, with the scenes and characters getting all sorts of colorful flourishes to keep things interesting. This is all backed by a fast-paced soundtrack that highlights the intense action of the game.

As for the gameplay… look, I’m a fan of the first One Finger Death Punch, so I’m not gonna’ act like I was somehow surprised that this game is an absolute blast of an Action game. It is, by the way. Despite the extreme simplicity of the action, or perhaps because of it, this game manages to boil combat down to its core basics of assessing your situation and responding with the proper timing in a way that results in a brilliant fast-paced action game that anyone can easily pick up and play (well, as long as they’re not upset by the bloody deaths of stick figures).

Players’ reach can only extend so far, and whiffing an attack gives enemies a huge opportunity to get a hit in, meaning that players need to be sure to time their attacks for when enemies are in range, but not hesitate so much that enemies can get a shot in. This core concept is given a lot of variety with the addition of enemies that take multiple hits, dodge attacks, or require a “Simon Says” style minigame to down, and players can temporarily extend their range by picking up weapons, and all of these elements combine to help keep the game from becoming stale and repetitive. I’ll admit that even with this infusion of variety, the game can still get a tad repetitive at times, but overall it’s still an absolute joy to play, especially in small bursts.

Players are given a variety of options to play the game, too – there’s a campaign mode, an endless mode, a “gauntlet” mode that has you trying to work through a series of levels without dying, and even a mode that has you playing while a cat blocks a part of the screen… because why not. What’s more, players can earn passive bonuses to upgrade their character to become more powerful over time, and there are adjustable speed settings to keep the game from becoming overly easy or difficult.

There are a few issues of note here that keep this from being quite as good as it could have been. Firstly, while the game does have touchscreen controls, those controls are pretty terrible. You’d think the game would have you swiping in the direction you want to attack, or at least tapping on the side of the screen you want to attack, but it seems like the touchscreen only attacks to the left side, necessitating the use of buttons along with it. Another issue is this game’s local co-op mode, which seems tacked-on and poorly thought-out. This game feels like it has so much amazing multiplayer potential, and I can think of numerous ways the experience could be enhanced for multiplayer play, so to see the only option here is an alternating co-op mode is really lame.

However, while there’s certainly room for improvement in a third entry in the series, make no mistake – One Finger Death Punch 2 is an outstanding Arcade-style Action game, one that feels like a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch, and one that I highly recommend to just about any Action game fan.

tl;dr – One Finger Death Punch 2 is an Arcade-style game that has you using only two buttons to have your stick figure fend off an army of attackers, and despite the simple gameplay and visuals, the game is an absolute blast to play. It’s a shame the multiplayer is such a dud, but there’s plenty enough single-player content here to keep you playing for a good long while, and I highly recommend you do.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action Game

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