A satisfyingly challenging brawler.
The real meat of the game is in it's customization. There are tons of different moves for you to acquire and you can map out your combos in the menu however you choose them to be. There's a variety of kicks and punches that vary in strength and speed not to mention get better overall throughout the game. You can map out which moves you want to use in the menu so that your character is fighting in the style you choose when the baddies arrive. This customization feels great because eliminates accidentally doing moves that you don't like and also having to perform complex button presses. It's also a rewarding feeling to pick up a new powerful move and rock some dudes with it while you're trying it out. It's even more satisfying when you really learn how to defeat guys and you can feel your skill level increasing. To defend yourself from your foes powerful blows you'll be using the right analog stick. There is no camera control, it is constantly positioned behind you similar to Resident Evil 4 except instead of being right on the shoulder its pushed back a bit so you can see your entire character. This can be upsetting here and there when you wish you could do some sort of quick turn, but thats the games biggest problem. To evade you simply push the right analog stick in a direction. Similar to the way God of War used the right analog stick it will cause you to do an evade maneuver in which time you are temporarily invincible. The characters in the game are laugh out loud funny. The main character, Gene, who possesses the God Hand is overly cocky (similar to Dante from the DMC series) and the girl, Olivia, that he is constantly interacting with are quote the funny pair. They are always making fun of each other and Gene is always mocking the enemies. It's really a have fun sort of game. It's game play is most closely related to old school brawlers like Streets of Rage or Double Dragon. Your goal is simply to beat everyone up. But it's not easy, each foe is very capable of beating you senseless if you aren't careful. I hate to make another DMC comparison because I know this game isn't DMC or very close at all, but if you thought DMC3 was hard you're in for quick a treat because this surely tops it. But it feels very rewarding when you pass each level. The sound is equally as funny as the characters. The music is all very fitting to each area yet still kind of comical at the same time. There's not much more to say about it than it really fits in well. My only complaint is really the camera. A quick turn would have been real nice and I wish that some of the evades were executed a bit differently. But I guess it just adds to the challenge to deal with them how they are now. I don't think it's enough of a problem to ruin the experience for anyone so don't let it set you back. All in all this is a wonderful way for Clover Studios to go out, although I wish their demise wasn't true, I couldn't have asked for a better end. This game has everything it needs to be a fun playthrough and at about 16 hours it's totally worth the $30 price tag. If you're into brawlers or just into fast paced action don't miss out on God Hand.