REVIEW : Shing! (PS4)
Mass Creation, known for games such as Corridor Z and Draw Slasher, have recently made their most extensive entry into the gaming mainstream. With Shing! the indie creators have now beautifully immersed their toes into the world of co-op beat them ups made famous in the arcades by the likes of Double Dragon and Golden Axe.
However, though Shing! will prove stylistically familiar with old school gamers, the title isn’t without its latest updates as it shows the fruits of a new artistic direction for the Polish team.
The art style has an immediate charm. The overall feel of the play is eastern-inspired although the character design is closer to a westernised anime such as Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. Additionally, the backdrops feel energetic and deep they breathe life into the genre-typical never-ending scrolling floor.
The character’s perspective and personality aren’t especially original, though are nevertheless investable. The music matches the art form and blends traditional eastern music with modern western production. The overall technique of the game is well aligned with its pumping synth-wave hybrid music.
The only sore amongst the immersive characteristics of the play were the repetitive designs of the enemies. Whilst there is a great array of opponent models, the player encounters against the most similar ones far too frequent.
The remarkable part of Shing! is in its core loop. Chaining different strikes and combos with the right analogue stick are bizarrely satisfying. However, it’s hard to deduce whether it’s the unfamiliarity with the control scheme or the sensitivity that had me occasionally attacking the wrong way.
The game compensates you with style points and power-ups to motivate you into traversing the full array of your attacking powers. Even on the normal difficulty, you’ll find it sinks or swims in regards to grasping the move set.
The titular “Shing” noise gives the clue as to an enemy attack, and your timed counter makes for a worthwhile flourish.
The game tosses at you a diversity of opponents that need unique approaches to quell. Though the AI is chiefly uninspired, you will discover yourself occasionally flooded by sheer volumes and variety. The challenge is often a mystery as you have to figure out the relevant priority of targets. Additionally, the use of power-ups further contributes to what was an addictive gameplay loop.
Beginning with a classic MacGuffin, the story follows a fundamental retrieval hunt narrative. The story is only there to heighten the sense of progression as you battle through escalating challenges. Despite this, the humorous dialogue between an affable cast of characters shines through.
Small problems provide pleasant breaks from battling the horde. Moreover, boss battles are well located and fun to tackle, although occasionally are economically reused as routine enemy types. The play also includes elective mid-level missions which further assist to teach the nuances of the game’s combat.
The game’s difficulty or enemy amount doesn’t scale with the number of player characters. As a consequence of this, some hurdles don’t feel congruous with the party size.
Friends playing local co-op will have no dull minutes, and there are four level settings to suit different party sizes.
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