Wednesday, 18 May 2016 00:00

Rocket Fist Review

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Rocket Fist is a puzzle/action game developed by Daniel Snd and is currently available on Steam.

Rocket Fist’s two main modes, story and multiplayer, are mechanically identical, but the former plays like a typical puzzler with action elements, while the latter plays more like the opposite - an action game with some spatial thinking challenges. The story mode follows a small robot trying to survive getting punched by several other robots and utilizing titular weaponized “rocket fists” to kill enemies. Multiplayer pits friends against each other in creatively-designed maps, attempting the same end goal of robo-superiority. The name ‘Rocket Fist’ makes it sound like it’s going to be quite the mechanical romp involving closed hands powered by engines…and boy, does it live up to its exciting name.

Rocket Fist begins both multiplayer matches and the single player campaign screens with a neat character customization feature where the player can choose everything from the color of the robot to which kind of hat they will wear. It’s not common to find character customization in a lot of “one-man dev teams”, so this was a rare treat that I definitely appreciated.

Rocket Fist from the word ‘go’ is a highly stylized and polished game with bright and eye-catching colors without descending into an epileptic nightmare

Rocket Fist from the word ‘go’ is a highly stylized and polished game with bright and eye-catching colors without descending into an epileptic nightmare. Everything stays consistent visually, and the distinct color palettes for enemies, environments, and the player ensure that nothing just ‘blends in.’ The colors themselves were really good choices – everything vivid and popping – you could tell the developer took a lot of time on just color selection alone.

The control scheme for Rocket Fist is very simple. Players can use the mouse and WASD to aim and move, respectively, with left clicking taking the “attack button” slot. These controls are simple enough, but when put in the context of the larger game (which is much more difficult to control than it lets on), they take a little while to get into. This isn’t too much of a problem, however, as once the motion of the player character is nailed down, it doesn’t take long for it to come back when revisiting the game.

As a game with puzzle elements, Rocket Fist excels in its design. The levels all look fairly similar, but due to the hair-trigger controls and fast pace, every level feels different. This also allows replay value to skyrocket, as jumping into a previously-played level won’t feel like just putting the same puzzle piece down. I found myself coming back to a level after leaving, and realizing that my style of approach was totally different – sometimes in my favor, other times significantly not so. The best design elements with regards to the mechanics, however, are the boss fights. The bosses are all, in essence, big versions of typical enemy robots with some special abilities that are capable of taking more hits than the standard grunts. That being said, each boss fight feels entirely different than the others, and they all have some distinct, unique element which can ring a bell when remembering it.

As a game with puzzle elements, Rocket Fist excels in its design

And the music? Oh my, the music. I’m a big fan of pumped-up electronic stuff like what populates the Rocket Fist soundtrack, but I wasn’t expecting to be grooving along with it as much as I did. My toes were tapping and, on occasion, my fingers snapping as well. Musician Thiago Adamo has truly crafted a soundtrack befitting a game named “Rocket Fist” – fun, punchy, and downright addictive. On a sound-based note, the general sound effects (Also designed by Adamo) are done incredibly well, with the rocket-fistings sounding succinctly, with just the right amount of “oomph” that they need.

The multiplayer mode, while still in beta, is a barrel of fun. While it’s mostly just an extension of the main game, it’s the kind of multiplayer that would be perfect for intermittent rounds with friends. While another game is loading, or while everyone’s waiting to show up, or just for a break from a different game, it’s just the perfect game to jump into, play a round or two, and jump out of. Everything works pretty fluidly, as far as the connections and such, which is always a plus.

9

The Verdict

Overall, Rocket Fist is an enjoyably approachable game whose intense visual and musical style will enrapture and engage any type of gamer. While the controls may be a bit hard to grasp at first, once they are sufficiently mastered, the game churns out fun time after time. The level design, again, is absolutely imperative in a puzzle game’s chances of survival, and Rocket Fist gets four flaming fists of approval in that department. If you’re looking for a game to while away some hours after you punch the clock out for the day, punch into your Steam account and load up Rocket Fist. You won’t be disappointed.

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Michael Crowley

Michael is a student living in Allston, MA, with games on his mind almost to a fault. He has been gaming for over a decade, and PC gaming for almost as long. He loves the weird, the esoteric, and the things that people don’t normally give a chance. His favorite recent game is Undertale, and his favorite classic game is Half-Life, and he is looking forward to sharing opinions on everything that comes into his head.

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