The Adventures of Mark Basehore 2 - Episode 1 DEMO

The beat ‘em up genre’s body is not even twitching anymore, so we can go ahead and declare it pretty much dead. Although it made a lot of sense back in the day, when 2D sidescrollers were standard and no one saw nothing wrong with a guy karate chopping a robot in space, it would look a lot weirder in full 3D. However, there are similar concepts nowadays as well, since you only need to take a look at games like Batman: Arkham Asylum or Sleeping Dogs to see the resemblance.

The Adventures of Mark Basehore 2 - Episode 1 is a retro sidescroller featuring the very same elements you might have enjoyed in titles like Double Dragon, except that here you play alone. Besides that, most of the gameplay is exactly the same, which means that you have to make your way across an enemy-infested map while beating everything and everyone standing in your way.

There is even a story to make things feel less pointless. The plot is not exactly complicated, but it does provide you with a bit of information on the main character and his reasons for going on a city-wide rampage. As it happens, an alien invasion is on its way, which means that little gray men run amok on the streets of the city. Because no one else seems to do something about it, the task falls onto the brave Mark Basehore, whose role you play in the game.

In the beginning, your character can only perform one measly move, which makes the gameplay feel a tad repetitive and way too simple. However, if you stick with it and manage to acquire experience by killing enemies, you unlock more powerful combos and moves. Even so, don’t expect anything too exciting, because it’s all about punches and kicks.

Visually, the game features classic old-school graphics, with pixelated environments and the usual 16-bit color scheme. The sprite animations are pretty detailed, on the other hand, while the landscapes can successfully create the proper atmosphere for the story to unfold. A nice soundtrack plays in the background to make the combat feel more exciting.

All things considered, The Adventures of Mark Basehore 2 - Episode 1 may not be as addictive as one would hope, but you can still have a lot of fun with it. Hence, if you miss punching and kicking enemies one after the other, you can remember the feeling with the help of this game.