Published by EastAsiaSoft for $15, Fallen City Brawl is a ’90s-inspired “walk to the right” beat’em-up. Gameplay is straightforward, so it should be approachable for most players, and the large, pixelated sprites are eye-catching, but how well does it play?

Taking most of its inspiration from the classic Final Fight, right down to the enemy death grunts, this belt-scroller features a simple control scheme: one button to attack, one button to jump, and one button to unleash a special attack (if you have ammo). Strangely, there are options to block attacks with precise timing, dash, and even knock enemies into the air, but the standard “attack-attack-attack” button-mashing combo works best in nearly all situations. As a result, there is some slight depth to the combat, but it feels unnecessary, as it rarely has a chance to shine. Strangely, the default button mapping also feels out of place, though there is an option to reconfigure the controls in the options menu – A should jump and X should be attack.

Knocking down foes can also cause them to drop crystals. Gathering enough of them and pressing a button activates a super attack, the strength of which depends on the amount collected. Strangely, while this super attack might stun the enemies on screen, it also summons a shadow ninja that you must defeat… for some reason. It is odd that a special attack like this both hurts and helps the player. There is no narrative reason for this either, which makes this system even more confusing. Honestly, I think this crystal-collecting super attack hinders the gameplay instead of making it better or more exciting.

It only takes about 30-40 minutes to clear the campaign, and even less if you’re pummeling through it in local-only co-op. Unfortunately, there is little replay value beyond trying to earn a higher spot on the leaderboard, which is strange because the player is encouraged to collect money from defeated foes. This cash, however, only increases your score and feels like a wasted opportunity. These coins cannot be spent to increase stats, unlock special moves, or even gain access to bonus features on the main menu. The point is that once you clear the game, there is little reason to play again despite the presence of several playable characters. My character would also occasionally freeze when grabbing enemies, only becoming controllable again after taking damage.

My biggest complaint comes from this digital download’s biggest gimmick: the combo system. It is fun to beat up opponents, sometimes juggling them against the screen, but it becomes frustrating when trying to reach higher hit counts. For example, there are Achievements for landing combos that reach into the hundreds, but the game provides only the smallest and often unfair chance of accomplishing this. When a wave of enemies has been cleared and the player is instructed to walk to the right, the combo meter temporarily pauses. However, it begins to deplete as soon as the next section is triggered. The only way to keep the combo going between transitions is to get lucky by punching an enemy the millisecond they spawn off-screen, but they often hit you first, causing the loss of your hard-earned combo. There is also an option to attack enemies while they are down by pressing down plus attack. Unfortunately, this control scheme doesn’t really work because holding down causes your character to move away from the downed foe, allowing only a couple of hits before stepping out of range.

Bosses are also pretty cheap. A single attack can remove half your health bar, and they don’t fight fair. After the final boss is defeated (who looks like the ponytailed antagonist from The Karate Kid), the game simply ends with no fanfare. This is also disappointing because there is virtually no story. Sure, there are a couple of lines of text in the opening, but there is no plot or purpose whatsoever. I guess you’re just a big bully who wants to beat up every random person encountered on the street?

Fallen City Brawl is mindlessly entertaining for the half hour it lasts, but sadly, there isn’t much here. If you watch the trailer, the game looks really cool because of its stylized visual design, and it does provide simple Final Fight-style repetition and challenge, but this is one of those games where I find myself hoping for a sequel that is more of the same, only bigger. More story. More options. More depth. More replay value. Maybe one day.

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

X/Twitter: @ZackGaz

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