There is large number of boss and mini-boss battles unpredictably scattered throughout the stages that continually test the player’s skill, also. Players will shoot, stab, chop, burn, electrocute, blow up, and melt their way through a countless number of foes, and the combinations available means it never becomes tiresome.
There are literally too many weapon choices and enemy variations to name, making combat, which could easily become monotonous, intense and exciting. These body parts can then become weapons in the player’s hands it’s brutal, yes, but there’s something sadistically satisfying about bludgeoning a zombie-ninja to death with its comrades severed limbs.Ĭharlie Murders main strength is founded in its variety, something which does much to alleviate the repetitiveness associated with beat-‘em-ups. Players will take on hordes of enemies, beating them until they are nothing more than a random scattering of body parts littering the 2D plain. The simplicity of the story telling works fantastically well in Charlie Murder: it intrigues and draws in the player without ever taking you away from the action for too long, and it’s a surprisingly engaging tale for a beat ‘em up to portray.Ĭombat in Charlie Murder is literally bloody fun. There is very little dialogue, and much of the story is told through small, playable flashback sections that reveal the events that led up to the all-out mayhem that players now face. The sights and sounds in Charlie Murder give the game much more character than a fleshed out story ever could, which is ideal, because Charlie Murder takes a minimalistic approach to its narrative. It’s a regrettable design choice, but it’s a nice addition nonetheless. It would have made more sense to give the player the ability to listen to this show whilst playing through a stage. The show delivers insight into the state of Charlie Murder’s chaotic world, but sadly, it becomes a chore to listen to because you don’t need to spend very much time in these locations. One of the more interesting aspects of the game’s soundtrack is the radio broadcast that can be heard whilst visiting certain in-game stores.
I found myself tapping my feet along to the heavy drum beats whilst admiring the gorgeous but chaotic visuals on more than one occasion. This twisted artistic approach is complimented by a superbly rock infused soundtrack that varies with the pace of gameplay, and has enough variety to never become repetitive. Characters are grotesque, yet somehow cute at the same time. Every character and location looks as though it were drawn by a very talented but seriously troubled child. Much of this charm comes courtesy of Charlie Murder’s simplistic, yet darkly fantastical 2D aesthetics.
However, beneath the surface, Charlie Murder is very much an RPG, with skill, looting, experience, and crafting systems in place, resulting in a remarkably intriguing and engaging experience that oozes charm from beginning to end. This is a fair assumption, as much of the gameplay and the control scheme are highly derivative of those that came before. Charlie Murder, developed by husband and wife duo Ska Games, is part of the 2013 line up, and not only is it easily the developers best game to date, it’s also one of the most stylistic and ambitious games to be released on XBLA.Īt a glance, Charlie Murder appears to be no more than a 2D side scrolling beat ‘em up, much like the classics it borrows its core mechanics from. XBLA’s Summer of Arcade is known for promoting some of the most unique, creative, and innovative games developed by small indie teams.
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