One Finger Death Punch Review: I know Kung-Fu

Sometimes you just buy a game based off its title. If you followed that logic with One Finger Death Punch, then you were handsomely rewarded.

Sitting alongside the behemoths of the next-gen exclusives, One Finger Death Punch is not only the best game I’ve played all month, but one of the best games I’ve played in the past year. Despite its incredibly simple premise (you’re only hitting two buttons all game), the game is able to present itself in such a way that few others can. The combination of solid mechanics, camp, humor, and challenge result in the best impulse purchase you’ll ever make.

While you’re not punching enemies with one finger, that’s not to say the actual execution of One Finger Death Punch is far from that. You’re a stationary character who’s fighting off enemies coming from the left and right. In order to attack, you’ll hit the X (left) and B (right) buttons on your controller. These are the only actions available. It seems simple enough, right? Just button mash all day to victory…only you can’t; if your attack will miss an opponent, you’re left in a vulnerable state and in danger of losing health.

This creates a rhythmic groove that’s needed for success. You’ll be slowly bobbing your head back and forth as you time your attacks in tune with the highly enjoyable music, occasionally chuckling at the over excessive death animations that never get old. While they may be excessive in, say, Assassin’s Creed, it’s important to note that the characters in One Finger Death Punch aren’t exactly detailed. They’re stick figures, completely reminiscent to the olden days of (oh man, I can’t believe I’d ever say this in a published article) StickDeath.com. There’s a strange sense of joy watching stick figures have their hearths punched out of their chests and their necks broken as the camera moves into slow motion. It results in moments that rock harder than any similarly named band could ever dream of.

All of this seems too easy in theory; what’s the point of being an overpowered ninja if there’s no challenge? Don’t worry, because that comes in spades. Enemies range from your basic vanilla drones to those who will occasionally dodge and duck to the other side of the track, and even those who require completing a scrolling track of button presses. Multiply this by, oh I don’t know, a few hundred, turn the speed up to 11, and you’ve got yourself some skilled button combos. If things are getting too hard for you, that’s okay; you can always pick up the weapons dropped by your foes. Swords are nice, but bows are better to take down those form a range. Why attack with a mace when you can throw it? Heck, why even attack when you can keep knocking a spiked ball back and forth to help chain insta-kills?

I’ve been going through some serious withdrawals for the past 500 words. Truth be told, this review should have been out a few weeks ago, but I’d like to apologize to my editors here at GameZone; I’ve been too busy actually playing One Finger Death Punch instead of talking about it. What usually starts as a “I’ll just play it for five or so minutes” turns into an hour long session at two in the morning. Do yourself a favor and spend five bucks to pick up a copy. It’ll be the best purchase you’ve made so far this year.