Alas, poor Clover Studios, I knew them well. A truly creative friend, who brought us Viewtiful Joe and Okami, renowned by critics. And though few were aware, they created the perfect old-school arcade brawler. An ode to Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and just a hint of X-men’s six player mayhem. Clover, however, did it in 3d.

God Hand is a simple game with a surprising amount of customization. Like most brawlers, it’s easy to jump in and learn the systems in place, but the game quickly opens up for the player’s unique style with a variety of attacks. From the beginning players are given attacks which can launch enemies into the air to be juggled near infinitely, attacks to break through an enemy guard, and attacks to knock enemies away. Defeating enemies is the primary method of unlocking new attacks, which can be added to the combo button or to a custom attack. Most of the player’s time will be spent mashing the combo button, which functions as a universal series of attacks the player sets up to suit his style best, or at least the situation. In addition to the combo button (defaulting to square), the triangle and X buttons get three attacks each, determined by the left thumbstick’s position (up, down, or neutral). Beyond that, there are several pre-defined attacks while the player is dashing, or enemies are on the ground. All of these attacks can be enhanced by unleashing the God Hand. A special meter which increases as damage is dealt powers it, and when it’s activated, attack speed and power increases dramatically, and damage received is greatly reduced. A proper timing on the God Hand’s activation can decimate a boss or a room full of enemies.

Well over 100 attacks become available by the end of the game, giving a massive amount of customization to players. A good combo string is the key to success. Some players will prefer slower, more damaging attacks when an enemy is open, others a rapid series that’s hard to block. Placing special attack types in a combo string, such as launches or juggles, can make all the difference, as can a well placed guard breaker or chargeable attack.

On top of the combos and other pre-defined attacks, there’s a significant amount of contextual attacks and weaponry. When an enemy is positioned correctly or stunned, various attacks for that enemy type are available through the all purpose “use” button. A rapid-fire stomping attack, brutal kicks to the face, or a very stern spanking can be unleashed for massive amounts of damage. If those aren’t enough for your participation in the decimation, the roulette wheel is available. Special attacks, which can be projectiles, launches, area attacks, or attacks directed toward one enemy, are powered by the roulette wheel, which is itself powered by orbs dropped by enemies. The more powerful attacks require more orbs, up to three. When the wheel is activated, attacks are randomly placed on a scrolling menu, which the player can only move forward through. Time slows down (but doesn’t stop) as the player chooses an attack, and the time to do so is limited. If the time runs out, whatever attack is currently highlighted is used. Fortunately, the player can cancel the mode, and getting to the end of the list for the desired attack isn’t often an issue. Of course, getting a foot to the face will interrupt the roulette.

Finally, there are weapon attacks. Many items in the environment can be picked up and hurled, often releasing powerups for the player and doing significant damage. Other items are kept until broken, such as girders, baseball bats, or in those rare moments of amazing luck, rocket launchers. Most of the retained weapons can be stolen from enemies who’ll already be attempting to use them on the player, however, and they can pick up dropped weapons.

Unfortunately, the hero of the game is only an offensive expert who hasn’t gotten the hang of blocking. The game’s defense takes the form of dodging with the right thumbstick, and area attacks. Fortunately, the player is provided with radar and the ability to make a quick 180 turn, so getting pummeled from behind can be avoided if the player doesn’t get tunnel vision. The game doesn’t get easier for a skilled player though, with an interesting adaptive difficulty system. Dodging attacks consistently and defeating enemies raises the combo meter. It’s a four-tiered system which increases the amount of enemies, the power of the enemies, and the amount of money the player collects for defeating them.

Between stages, players can visit a bonus stage of sorts, which is fit with the over the top theme of the game. In the bonus area is a shop where a player can purchase new attacks and upgrades to health, the God Hand power meter, or the maximum roulette orbs. Besides the shop, there’s an arena which has various missions within and enemies to fight, with monetary rewards which increase with the difficulty of the mission. On top of all that, easy money can be made or lost inside the casino, which features blackjack tables, slot machines, and video poker. If that’s not enough distraction on the side, Poison Chihuahua races can be bet on in the Shop, and can be easy money when a puppy with 10-1 odds wins.

God Hand is, without a doubt, a viciously hard game. The lack of blocking combined with the enemies surrounding the player and ramping difficulty results in a punishing system that can take down the most experienced combatants. But it’s fair. Dodging is extremely effective and many circular attacks are available, as well as the enemy radar. Prolific powerups aid the player and keep health and special attacks at the ready, giving the player plenty of options in desperate situations (which are a regular occurrence). Unfortunately, the game’s camera angles can add to the difficulty. The perspective is a somewhat tight follow camera, which stays directly behind the player. But when the player is backed into a corner or against a wall, visibility can drop entirely, leaving the player extremely likely to receive a tremendous beating.

The overall theme of the game is brilliantly over the top, giving the Disgaea treatment to the brawler genre effectively, including its own Power Rangers to beat senseless. A gorilla in a wrestling mask, an S&M diva, two cabaret dancing men, and a self-built robot are typical boss fights. Levels have titles such as “Kissing a Hot Chick”, “Naked Shannon”, “Giant Enemy Crane”, and “Seriously, We Want the God Hand”, and my personal favorite, “Long Walk, Short Pier.” The entire story is an over the top tale of good versus evil, with both having half of the world’s ultimate weapon.

Every enemy is designed the same way as the story, under the theory that exaggeration and taking things to absurd levels is much more fun than under doing it. And many, many, many enemies are thoroughly recognizable from yesteryear, some being perfect polygonal copies. Many players will see the mohawked enemy and immediately recognize him as Donovan from Streets of Rage, a particularly persistent enemy. And that’s far from the only time it’ll happen when one of the main villains looks like every Fat Guy Boss ever made, and fights like them as well.

God Hand’s graphics are solid, but very much have the PS2 feel. Aliasing can be an issue, and things look overly crisp sometimes. While the animations are solid as are the character models, the world itself feels rather lifeless sometimes, despite having a tendency toward breaking into little pieces. But the special effects and character design go above and beyond, bringing real life into things. The color palette itself is great, and the traditional palette swap enemies are even present and looking great. In-engine cutscenes are used often, and never detract from the gameplay.

Audio-wise, every impact sounds brutal, whether it’s a fist meeting face or a body slamming into a wall. What normally would be a subtle sound, like a footstep, is magnified, and big sounds like explosions could rattle a skull. The music itself varies with environment. A funky Elvis tune, circus music, mariachi sounds, overdriven guitar, it all finds a place in the game fitting the environment and often the enemies. Classic arcade sounds ring through when players snag powerups or money. The game’s voice acting is also somewhat over the top, but intentionally so. It’s appreciated that a game where the dialogue isn’t truly necessary makes good use of voice actors, considering recent games that were pure dialogue and made me want to shove a pencil in my ear. Yes, Shenmue, you’re guilty here.

The downside of the game is that it can and will get repetitive as is the case with the genre. If you don’t love beating the crap out of non-stop enemies, this isn’t for you in any way. If that’s your bag, well, God Hand is incredibly good at what it does. With massive options for customization, constant adrenaline-fueled fighting, and plenty of twitching, the game only slows down when players take a break in the casino to gamble up some extra cash. This is the kind of game that would have stolen the quarters from every pocket within ten feet in the 1990s, and that is, for me, the highest kind of compliment that can be paid. Especially since it was released at the ridiculously low price of thirty dollars.

 

JIVE Magazine final score: 4 out of 5 broken fingers