The Asskickers Demo

Not too long ago, sidescrollers were still quite popular with the crowds and large studios worked hard to make them as action-packed as possible. However, times have changed and not many want to deal with 2D video games nowadays, which is why the genre is pretty much dead. The same can be said about arcade beat ‘em ups as well, given the fact that a lot of emphasis is put on realism nowadays.

The Asskickers tried very hard to be what Double Dragon was back in the day, and it almost manages to get it right in most parts. Certainly, it lacks a few elements to become a memorable title, but it comes pretty close and it can certainly be fun. Hence, this is a classic beat ‘em up sidescroller, which means that you go from left to right and beat up everything in between.

There is even a story going on in the background, talking about three friends who get wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit. These are the playable characters, namely Alex, Marcus, and Diane. Each one of them has special abilities they can use in combat, as well as different styles that make them either more powerful, or faster and more agile.

The special abilities cost quite a bit of energy to perform, so you may not always be prepared to deliver the desired amount of damage. However, it is also possible to pick up a variety of weapons from the fallen enemies, including golf clubs and bats, all of which provide you with additional options. Unfortunately, they undermine your ability to jump or perform special combos, so you might not want to hang on to them for too long.

As far as the difficulty level is concerned, this is definitely not a walk in the park, but it’s not very hard either. The more annoying part are the controls and the gameplay in general, because the fighters are very stiff and they do not always respond they way you would want them to in certain situations. Thankfully, at least the graphics look nice, so you have plenty to gaze at while traversing the city.

All things considered, the most attractive feature found in The Asskickers is the fact that it can be enjoyed by two players at the same time, just like in the classic sidescrollers from a few decades ago. Hence, it can be enormous fun in multiplayer, as long as you have a friend who’s ready to join you.