Iron Fisticle

Developer: Confused Pelican

Steam Release: Sep 2014

Hours Played: 8.4

Similar To: Circuit Breakers / Crimsonland / RIP Trilogy / Starward Rogue

Rating: 4/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY

Like Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender, this dark pixel-art game gives a huge nod to a Williams' cult classic from the 1980s. This time we're talking Robotron that seminal arena-style twin-stick shooter. In the confines of one screen and to a dark medieval-type setting you control a knight in shining armour whose sole job is to throw missiles at the hundreds of monsters, ghouls, zombies and critters who spawn around you. You do this with your standard default missile attack plus an assortment of power-ups from chests littered around that give pretty meaty boosts to your said attack. Most drops consist of food and gems which you scoop up by simply passing over them and these add to your score. You'll also collect coins for upgrades at the shop and hearts which are units of health.
 

BALANCE & PACE

The main difference this time round is that just like Aqua Kitty with the Defender idea, old-school difficulty and punishing gameplay has been replaced by a more forgiving experience. You'll still be forever finding the safest places to run to while shooting into the most dense part of the pack and you'll often be forced into the edges to blast your way out but (on normal difficulty at least) the pace is quite slow, offering little challenge. That's not to say it isn't satisfying because clearing your enemies with rapid fire and chomping up the food left in their wake is absorbing enough and never grows old but some, especially with hearts being gifted and readily available like hugs on New Years' Eve, will feel like getting a high score is more like a war of attrition. Veterans would definitely get more out of the Challenge mode.  

PRESENTATION & DESIGN

The biggest fault with the game lies in the fact that there is no save-game option meaning you cannot leave a session for later but must play the game out to the bitter end! This may not be so bad with the Hard setting or on Challenge mode where shorter sessions occur but for an easy or normal game, a save-game option is often something you'll really need. Anyway, as mentioned the game is done in a pixel-art style and set in a series of dungeons with simple chivalric music played in the background. Dim and dark lighting also contribute to the gloomy atmosphere but there is a good variety of enemies. The menus themselves are simply designed and quick to navigate with even the leaderboards giving a nod to the Robotron style. 
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM

The game is divided into four floors with a boss fight ending each one. You can play a Standard or a Challenge game on Easy, Normal or Hard setting. A Standard game allows you to buy permanent upgrades from the shop meaning future games will have those upgrades intact. Buying these mean certain attributes (like speed of movement and attack) will become more powerful and likewise help to gradually improve your high-score. With a Challenge game you start from scratch each time with no extra oomph. To review progress, high-scores are supplied along with best-times along with your world rank at the online leaderboards via the high-score screen. As mentioned, buckle in for the long haul if you're on the easy or normal setting.  

CONCLUSION

Robotron veterans will certainly appreciate the core mechanic of Iron Fisticle. Power-ups offer a great variety of uber-missiles while upgrades will see your character grow stronger and faster in standard games. Enemies are well-varied and you'll also have the iron fist attack itself that gets you out of a tight spot by destroying all enemies within a small radius. There is a quick-dash move as well. Finally, as you cut your path through the floors, you'll get a mini-game in the form of a side-scrolling runner to pick up extra coins. As a game with an arcade feel it is perhaps correct not to have quick-saves but as a game that can last one or two hours per session (albeit on an easy or normal standard game), this feature being absent has to go down as quite an annoying flaw.