I have some pretty painful boxing memories as a kid, though no matter how much abuse Little Mac took, I was mashing on those “A” and “B” buttons to have another chance at the dreaded “Dream Fight” (play your “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out”, kids). I dabbled in the Fight Night series here and there, but nothing sticks out in my mind more than Bald Bull’s “Bull Charge” and Great Tiger’s “Magic Punch.” Needless to say, I was surprised (in a good way) to see this particular game hit Desura’s “New Games” tab. It looks and feels like a modern-day “Punch-Out” on speed, but with some interesting mechanics thrown in for good measure. Before we start wrapping tape around our hands, I’d like to thank Gordon Luk from Goodhustle Studios, Inc. for sending me a free review copy.
Beast Boxing Turbo (PC, Mac)
The main menu lets you play the campaign, play in endless mode, and adjust game options. Endless mode is a test of endurance, pitting the player against boxer after boxer in an attempt to get the highest score. The options menu allows you to customize keybinds, calibrate a controller if you have one, set screen resolution, toggle fullscreen and other graphical settings, set audio sliders, contact the developers, and reset your profile. I appreciate the last option, seeing as how you have only one profile available.
The premise behind the main campaign mode is simple: beat the crap out of all of your opponents. As you may have gathered, it’s not as simple as that. You’ll take on the role of a female protagonist that must take on twelve different beasts of varying shapes and sizes. Once you manage to get past all twelve beasts, you’ll be able to participate in a “newgame plus” mode that will make your life that much harder. In between bouts, you’ll be able to participate in tutorials, fight the next opponent, participate in exhibition matches, and purchase upgrades.
Depleting your endurance bar by mindlessly throwing punches will leave you defenseless.
Unlike “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out”, you’ll be able to improve your character as you go. The game allows you to do this in two different ways: improving skills and purchasing gear, both of which costs money. In the gym, you’ll be able to improve upon six different skills, taking them from a skill level of zero all the way up to ninety-nine. Each upgrade in a particular category becomes more expensive as you level it up. In regards to purchasing gear, you’ll be able to equip items in six different slots. The stats on an item can be both positive and negative, allowing the player to customize their fighting machine in a manner that suits them best. You’ll be able to purchase these items and train your character with money that you earn from fights. You can either win against your next opponent or continuously beat opponents you’ve defeated already in exhibition matches.
With the above leveling mechanics in mind, you may get your behind handed to you on a regular basis, no matter how much “Punch-Out” you played as a kid. While the monsters have a set rhythm that you can dodge and block your way past, training and improving your base stats will make your life that much easier. I personally managed to beat the first three beasts without grinding money in exhibition matches, but it was by no means easy. Once you learn a particular beast’s moves and become strong enough to put a dent into their health bar, you’ll hopefully defeat them and start the process all over again with the next beast. It’s all part of the learning experience and while I’m not a fan of losing (who is?), the gameplay was fun enough to where I didn’t mind it. Losing only gave me further incentive to level up and make my character strong enough to finally defeat the beast I was stuck on.
Leveling up your character is necessary if you want to take on the big boys.
To sum things up, “Beast Boxing Turbo” is a fun (but challenging) diversion that will test your reflexes and leave you wanting more. The beasts themselves are diverse and definitely have a personality all of their own. The training and gear mechanic will give players plenty of reasons to keep trudging ahead, regardless of how badly they may have gotten beaten up in the last round. I believe the game to be worth its price tag of $4.99, though it’s worth noting that the game is currently on sale for $2.99 through Desura (as of 2/7/13). It’s certainly worth a look, especially if you’ve been wanting another boxing game in your life for quite some time. There’s a demo available on the official site (link below), should you wish to try before you buy.
Final Verdict: 7/10
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You can learn more about and purchase “Beast Boxing Turbo” by visiting the following websites:
http://www.desura.com/games/beast-boxing-turbo
You can help bring the game to Steam by voting for it on its Greenlight page, here:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92979562
You can view video play sessions here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EFIZkFnKys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66OSTowNr5M
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