Okinawa Rush Demo

Beat ‘em ups are not as popular as they used to be, given the fact that they seem to be a relic of the arcade era at this point. It’s difficult to deny their appeal, on the other hand, especially since beat ‘em ups are notoriously hard and frustrating, which is something hardcore gamers are after. Hence, there are still some developers trying to keep the genre alive, and some do it very well.

Okinawa Rush is a 2D beat ‘em up in which you get to play as a martial arts master who takes on a great quest and hundreds of enemies in order to save people and kill the bad guys. The game is designed to be as fast-paced as possible, which is why you must learn the ropes before jumping into the action. Thankfully, there’s a tutorial to get you started, as well as a training mode where you can practice your moves.

One of the most interesting features that’s part of the experience is the parry system, which allows you to block any kind of incoming attack. Naturally, you need great reflexes to be able to do that, because you need to press the appropriate key at the right time in order to trigger a successful parry. On top of that, you also have to attack in the meantime, and the combos come in many varieties.

Speaking of which, there are many possible combos to achieve, as well as a variety of weapons you can find along the way. These weapons provide you with special abilities as well, but your hand-to-hand combos are the most important. On top of all that, the game also features a co-op component, which allows you to share the experience with a friend and put your teamwork to the test.

Lastly, the controls are very important in a beat ‘em up, because every function must be easily accessible in order to get the desired combos. Everything is pretty spot on in this regard, although the keyboard layout could use a few improvements. The graphics are very nice too, in spite of the pixelated backgrounds and the dodgy animations.

In the end, Okinawa Rush is definitely on the right track, especially in terms of gameplay mechanics and combo diversity. Hence, you can show your support by participating in the game’s Kickstarter campaign.