Foul Play (2013)

Foul Play is a charming and fresh take on the beat-em-up formula. Whether you play solo or co-op, fun will be had following the adventures of Mr. Dashforth and Scampwick.

If this was released in the 90s, it would be a superb addition to the stack of truly memorable arcade titles. Today, though? Compared to titles like Castle Crashers, it comes up a little short. The design and aesthetics are fantastic, but ultimately, they alone can't carry the title. The repetitive nature of the combat, the low level of difficulty and lack of extra features or unlockables to expand the lifespan make this one just average.

Though the game is a pure play brawler (albeit with really stylish violence and a stunning aesthetic and music score), the theme adds genuine flavour to the proceedings. People tend to forget, but Shakespeare himself was a populist playwright, and his work was filled with the old hyperviolence, sex and a bit more hyperviolence on top of that to get audiences roudy and cheering the actors on.

Foul Play is fun and entertaining especially when playing the co-op mode but it is not the engaging type where you would want to sit down for continuous play. If it were not for the story and graphics, the game would be linear, especially that the game's genre is not suitable for everyone's preference in gaming. Not worth a standing ovation, but not bad enough for a curtain call.

The presentation and set pieces are terrific and one of the best parts of the game. Within each level you'll see a lovely variety of enemies and backgrounds.