I've had punch quest installed for some time on my mobile device, I use to play this game when it first came out on iOS well before the developers released it on Android. Thankfully they made the port years after and since then it's accumulated over a million installs on the Google Play store.
The game for anyone born in the 80's like myself will give you that nostalgic feeling of beatem-up arcade games from back in the day, such as Double Dragon, Altered Beast, Kung-Fu Master and Final Fight. Not just it's sprite visuals but those classic pow punch combination sounds.
Here I will take a look at the game in depth.
16 Bit Style Punch Quest is Action Packed Insanity
In Punch Quest, there is only one way to overcome anything that gets in your way: punch it. Seriously, it is that kind of game. Monsters, demons, undead skeletons, vampires, evil mages, everything: it all goes down with a punch. And if a single punch does not work? Punch it twice or three times. Or better yet, punch it harder than you did the last time. Yep, the game's upgrade system is all about making your punches the most powerful ever (and a few other passive bonuses like faster running and stuff like that). This guy could give the one punch man a run for his money!
Testosterone Overload
This is not your typical beat-em-up. There is no slow paced strategy, there is no positioning, there are hardly any real defensive moves. The only direction you can move is forward, and the only actions you can take are to punch. What matters is what kind of upgrades you choose to acquire. Are fireballs and lightning bolts hurting you? Then upgrade your fist to be able to repel projectiles, with this you can literally punch fireballs back at those pesky wizards. Getting swarmed too often by weak enemies? Add a shockwave to your running speed -your sheer forward momentum can turn you into a destructive train as you rampage past the weaker enemies. You determine how your character grows as you leave a trail of bludgeoned bodies in your wake.
The competitive side of the game shines through due to the game's simplicity. There's no multiplayer combat, no coop, just a simple high score run vs other players from around the world. Featured above is a guy who managed to score a 1.5 million point run, the highest achieved on Youtube!
Add new punches and even more powerful combat techniques to your character as you push deeper into the dungeons. Those nasty orcs will not punch themselves after all, that is your job -to punch the lights out of anything that stands in your way, and that also includes punching out the lights literally. Hearts and treasures await you from random monster drops or from breaking the environment's many elements. If you get lucky enough, you may even get a power up that lets you go further in your run.
One Dungeon, Lots of Hitting
Like other endless runners, the dungeon in Punch Quest is completely randomized. Play it enough times and you will start recognizing a few repeating patterns, but for the most part, it pays to pay attention to what is going on in the screen in order to stay alive. It also appears that the enemies will scale in strength and number depending on how far you are and the overall offensive might of your character. This makes new runs just as fun as old ones and keeps people coming back to try to climb the leader board as there's no real patterns to learn in terms of your run layout.
The controls are incredibly simple: the uppercut is a jumping attack move and so it doubles as your standard jump. The jab is your basic punch, and it also pushes your character forward. Together these attacks work as a way to jump and dash. As you progress through the game and gain more powers and abilities, these abilities will grow stronger and you will also gain access to even more offensive capabilities.
Grab All the Coins Beating up monsters is fun, but the real goal of the game is to acquire as much resources as you can each run. The more coins you get, the more you can spend on your abilities. The extra powers you can get start off simple enough, but as you progress, you will unlock and discover new abilities that can help you out in some very tight situations. Aside from passive abilities, you can also gain new active attacks such as substitute actions for the uppercut or jab.
You can also pick up amazing powerups in the stages themselves. Aside from the usual attack buffs and health restoration packs, players can get lucky and trigger special powers that will massively increase the damage of each punch. Or get some magical power like a defensive ring of rotating fists around you -these help deal damage while also protecting you from harm. My favorite, without a doubt, are the eggs -smash these open and open up a whole new mode of play. You can turn into a completely different creature (like a crazy rainbow gnome) and start bouncing all over the place, or even better, start riding a lasergun-equipped dinosaur. Punch Quest openly promises crazy mayhem to its players, and it delivers.
Sanity Takes a Back Seat
It is very easy to fall in love with this game. The pace is fast, frantic, and unapologetic. You come in with both fists swinging and never stop. The beat and tempo is definitely not relaxed, and there is an almost seamless flow between each run you can make (if you choose not to head over to the upgrading menus). Though if you think that the madness stops when the punching ceases -it does not, even the menus are filled to the brim with jokes and pop culture references. Even the whole collecting hats business (which is actually more satisfying than it sounds) manages to go well with everything else. The game has certainly proved that you can achieve a solid design theme even if it means injecting everything with rabid doses of testosterone.
Do Not Think, Just Punch
The simple use of left-screen and right-screen tap controls means that the only thing that players should care about in punch quest is punching. No matter what you are facing, which mode of the game is on, or even if you are facing the toughest boss you have ever seen -the graphics may get busy and frantic, but the directives remain the same, keep punching your way through. This stubborn play-logic in the game is nothing short of addictive and fun, and it even melds well with the 16 bit style graphics. When it comes down to raw action, Punch Quest certainly pulls no punches in the enjoyment factor.