When people think of classic story-based side-scrolling beat-’em-ups, people think of many things. They may think of Sega’s “Streets of Rage”. They may think of Data East’s “Double Dragon”. They may wonder if they’re a bad enough dude to play “Bad Dudes” and eat a hamburger with the president at the end of the game. Me? I always think of Irem’s “Vigilante”. The good news is that “Fist Puncher” has elements from all of the above.
“Fist Puncher” impresses with 15 playable characters, each of which can level up (not a feature commonly seen on this type of game back in the day). You’re eased into each character, with an introductory level to let you learn and experiment before the levels properly start. And with 50 levels in all, the scope of the game is large. Controls are tight and production values are consistently strong. As a consequence of all this, it does cost $4.99 (or something similar to that in your local currency), but given the length of the game and the quality it’s worth every penny if you have any nostalgia for, or interest in, the genre. It comes to us from the people behind “Washington’s Wig”.
Here’s what the developer (Jacob Lewandowski) has to say about the game:
“Smash bad dudes! Rescue hot chicks! Learn new moves! Level up! Bash your way through all 50 levels of the world’s biggest brawler! Unlock 15 playable characters!”
Writings of Mass Deduction 