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Tokyo Beat Down Review
This isometric brawler revels in its overwrought dialogue and ludicrous story. While the gameplay is the very definition of a mediocre, by-the-numbers beat 'em up, the snappy writing and appealing presentation make it worth a play for fans of the genre.
In the stylish shoes of loose cannon Lewis Cannon, players punch and kick their way through waves upon waves of indistinguishable enemies. Moving ever rightward, you'll tap into a variety of combos to crack skulls. The difference between, for example, kick-punch-punch and punch-kick-punch is minimal. For the most part, you're bashing buttons until the bad guys stop spawning and you can move to the next screen, and hopefully a new plot element.
The wacky anime-styled story is well aware of its silly premise. Skillfully written dialogue and amusingly larger-than-life characters masterfully sell this send-up of genre schlock. If The Naked Gun's writers had spent their adolescences giggling at Zero Wing's iconic mistranslations and watching Cowboy Bebop, the result may well have been something akin to Tokyo Beat Down's zany tale – and I mean that as a high compliment.
If the gameplay had more to recommend it, this would be a must-play on the DS. As it is, it's an amusing if uninspired romp that should give more than its share of belly laughs to the beat 'em up faithful.
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