The minds behind games like Stealth Inc and Stealth Bastard come together to deliver a retro-inspired twin stick shooter, Iron Fisticle. It is a simple game. First and foremost, it's a top-down arena style twin stick shooter. Second, it's an homage to classic arcade games in the same vein. Cubed3 takes this intriguing title for a spin in this latest review.
Players control one of two characters as hordes of enemies spawn around them, using one analogue stick to move the character and the other to shoot. Enemies drop items when killed, and money can be collected to purchase upgrades. The game world is randomly generated, meaning there's no true way to each floor's boss room. The titular Iron Fisticle is a special move that eliminates all enemies in a certain radius.
It seems like just about everyone these days wants to throw together a retro-inspired indie game, and simply paying homage to games that have already been made isn't enough to set anything apart anymore. Iron Fisticle steps up to this challenge by offering a fast-paced, side-scrolling mini-game reminiscent of both Mario and Sonic: players leap from platform to platform, grabbing coins and avoiding lava and traps. It's a fun diversion from the usual gameplay, and considering the random generation of levels, there's plenty of replay value to be found.
