A monk not to be messed with

Developed by Russian indie studio Sobaka and published by Ravenscourt and Buka Entertainment, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a side-scrolling beat ’em up that lovingly pays tribute to kung-fu movies of yesteryear, equally managing to channel the essence of classic brawlers like Double Dragon, Turtles in Time and Final Fight.

Check out what we think in this 9 Monkeys of Shaolin review!

 

 

Plot

The hero of the game is a simple fisherman called Wei Cheng who – after the death of his parents – is taken in by his grandfather and raised in simple, quiet surroundings.

Everything changes after a band of pirates attack, murder his grandfather, and leave him to die as the town burns.

Shaolin monks find him at the brink of death, nursing Wei Cheng in their mountaintop monastery (doubling as the game’s hub).

Thereafter he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and revenge.

On this way he passes trials, meets new people with unique personalities, and learns all about life, death, and the dangers of seeking retribution.

 

 

Gameplay

The gameplay is simplistic action combat, but it can stray into becoming repetitive rather quickly.

With three main attack buttons, the basic moveset allows for quick and easy combos, and is fun and intuitive.

9 Monkeys is an easy game to pick up, but never really challenges unless you go for the Hard mode where skill requirements are a little more demanding.

As you progress, you are provided with points to upgrade your attacks and abilities, as well as various gear for Wei Cheng.

This is fine, however there are few upgrades worth using, with most seemingly cosmetic or simply ineffective.

9 Monkeys does suffer from a lack of diversity – not only in the gameplay but also in the enemy types.

The only difference is their change in armour and clan colour, but in an effort to spice things up are both online co-op and couch co-op modes.

We think it makes the game a lot more enjoyable playing with a friend, even though there is little differentiation to punctuate the two pugilists.

 

 

Graphics & Audio

Enemy and player character models are basic and lack any personality, which causes them to all blend together. Still, the attack animations look quite lovely at times with that Shaw Brothers movie overblown flourish to attacks.

The music and environmental design for the 9 Monkeys of Shaolin are a couple of its more attractive aspects.

Whether battling through ancient ruins or Buddhist monasteries, the environments and sumptuous and brilliantly pay homage to the kung-fu genre.

With vibrant colours throughout, it’s pleasing on the eye. Influenced by classic arcade games, the world is rendered from an isometric perspective – making it a side-scroller still able to pop with 3D visuals.

 

 

Verdict

9 Monkeys was much more playing in couch co-op mode. It is an easy title that proves brief and affordable fun, but the lack of variety is a shame.

If you are a fan of 70s Kung-Fu movies then the setting, story, and music will scratch an itch.

We were able to finish Wei’s entire quest in a few hours, but with little scope for replayability.

You could replay to try out weapons missed on the first playthrough, but short levels provide little to compel an encore.

The clunky character models and lack of variance among enemy types consign this to the straight-to-DVD section as opposed to being a martial arts masterpiece.

Review copy provided by publisher