The game is a pretty tricky to launch if I’m honest. To edit all your options and characters, you need to move your character around the main screen, however to select a ‘Quest’ you need to go through the start menu. Being so used to it being vice versa, it does feel very complex. However, when you do eventually start the first quest, you will discover these random characters with an X floating above their head. I discovered very quickly how boring they are, but how oh so essential they are to playing the game. It would be good to have key information like attack controls just thrown up on the screen as of when it happens, but it does make the pace faster, especially for replays.

 

 

The game takes place in a very 2D environment. You are simply running along the screen, through various different obstacles and events. You are never behind your character, or looking through the eyes of your character. This does mean when you encounter enemies, which are, let’s being honest, the most important part of the game, there can be up 20 on the screen at a time. When you start, you can only punch them, but after a few fights, you will unlock weapons like meat bones and cleavers. These do not break, and are extremely effective. This can help produce more violent gore and you are in the middle it all. Occasionally a team mate may help, but don’t bank on it. Also when a team mate does help, when you dice them it shows rather graphically on the left of the screen. If you slice an enemy using a special attack it also appear s on the left of the screen, which is very confusing and you never know where you stand.

 

Graphically this game is quite good. The whole world is hand-drawn in a cartoon style, which doesn’t lag at all. The blood is also very comical having the thickness of say ketchup. However, and especially apparent in one mission, the environments are very repetitive, therefore a sense of de ja vu will certainly come through. This is probably the biggest letdown of the whole game since you would expect to have more funky environments but all you get in your mind is ‘I swear I’ve passed this tree before’.

 

But now I’ve mentioned the sound, I have just loaded up Fairytale Fights to check whether it has any. This shows exactly how well the sound must be implanted for me to remember it. It does come with some fairytale sort of music, and during gory bits it’s more rowdy and you constantly hear your foes flop to an early grave. It’s very unrealistic but then so is the game.

 

 

There is an arena mode which allows you play the missions again but with a time trial limit, and you can also take both of these modes online and play them competitively or cooperatively with your buddy. The game isn’t built for online, however, and does crumple apart quite easily. Also, due to the lack of players, it certainly doesn’t help the matter. Besides these four modes, you get to select four characters and a variety of options and that’s it. The game is over in less than 5 hours anyway so it certainly doesn’t have the longevity or humor this game should.

 

I was actually looking forward to the title, and in some ways pleasantly surprised, but its repetitive nature and its hard-to-spot instructions certainly let the side down. If you ever see it in the bargain bin, knock yourself out, you could do a lot worse.