One of the few fond memories I have spending time with my father (as well as new memories with my son) was playing the side scrolling brawlers from yesteryear: Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, and the Konami licensed titles from the 90’s will always hold a special place in my heart. Sadly, this genre hasn’t seen much love on the newest console generation, outside of a few titles here and there. The newly released Way of the Passive Fist scratches that itch while bringing some new mechanics into the cookie cutter pattern from the past.

Where previous offerings have been kind of basic, with a few attacks assigned to face buttons being the bulk of gameplay, this title takes the genre and flips it on its head. This is more akin to a rhythm game, requiring you to parry or dodge enemy attacks to build up a combo meter, and once completed you are able to unleash a devastating single punch that will take down most enemies in a single hit. This is not your only means of offense, as you can push enemies away and once they have become exhausted, simply poke them in the face and they’ll fall over. The game controls well and once you get the timing down, parrying and dodging becomes almost second nature. Similar to the combat in the Arkham series, enemies will display tells above their stamina bar which hints at what action needs to be taken with different colored icons. While the prologue does an excellent job of giving the player the basic knowledge to progress, newer enemy types (which are typically just palette swaps of other characters) do not provide updated instructions, which means relearning patterns and memorizing which colored enemy does what. It does not impact the overall experience much, but it can feel a bit unfair at times.

The game features a few modes that you’ll progress through as the mysterious Wanderer, including a standard arcade mode and a story mode featuring 10 chapters which are broken up into smaller chunks. In either mode you can try to earn medals based on your performance, and each area completed will allow you to activate a checkpoint. Sadly, saving mid-chapter is not an option, which poses a bit of a problem as each level is a bit on the longer side compared to similar games. With each chapter taking close to 30 minutes, this is not a game you can sit down and play in small portions.

Unlike other beat ‘em ups, there is not a boss on every chapter, but they do come regularly. I found these encounters to be frustrating, as the bosses do not appear to give any of the standard tells that they are attacking. You will be swarmed with minor enemies that are needed to build up your combo meter to unleash the power fist attack on the boss a few times. While these encounters are not overly difficult, they will impede progress for many – even on the easiest settings I had to attempt many of these battles multiple times before moving on. Luckily, death does not carry as much of a penalty as quitting to the main menu mid-mission since you can retry the segments as many times as you wish.

This frustration is also present on a number of segments where other mechanics are added, such as bases in the background shooting rockets into the battlefield. While you do receive notification of where they will be landing, the icon is nowhere near as big as the actual area it hits. These came so often it became easier to let them take out the enemies rather than trying to take them down using the Wanderer’s standard tactics. Since this tactic caused my score for the segment to plummet, I am assuming this isn’t what was intended.

The overall presentation is beautifully executed, featuring fluid movements and detailed animations that evoke a sense of nostalgia for older gamers familiar with the titles that pushed the older console generations to their limits. Many of the characters appear to be inspired by Mad Max with Asian influences. This also shines through the mid-chapter cut scenes that would fit in with many of the retro titles, only missing the “Don’t do drugs” opening screen that many older games showcased. One feature that I missed which would have improved the overall experience would have been couch or online co-op. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun to play, but competing against a friend for a high score or having my son join in on the fun would have elevated the title beyond a good game into remarkable status.

The Way of the Passive Fist may disappoint those who like a little more button mashing in their brawler, but it is a unique title that deserves a chance from anyone who wants to relive the glory days and see a more modern take on the genre, even if it’s a solo affair.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Fun Mash Up of Rhythm/Brawler Gameplay
• Unique Visuals

Cons

• Some Unfair Mechanics
• Lack of Mid-Mission Saves
• No Co-Op

Way of the Passive Fist was developed by and published by Household Games Inc. It launched on PC, PS4 and XB1 on March 6th, 2018 for $14.99. The game was provided to us for review on X1. For more on Way of the Passive Fist, check out the game’s official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

 

 

Check out OpenCritic for a better idea of how our review stacks against others.