Could pass for an EA game really.
There are a few reasons why videogame journalists are who we are. We jot down our gleeful two cents on paper hoping gamers would take them as coveted opinions; we plough through half the Thesaurus merely to convince you that we are indeed intellects and ultimately we act as if boxing games are our thing. Every now and then, we get a chance to put on our gloves and duck’n’weave in the ring as EA releases its latest beloved Fight Night iteration on home consoles. But apart from those instances, few gamers actually get to go hands on with the likes of Ali and Foreman. Touch KO aims to change all that. The Mechtley Brothers have attempted to recreate an accessible-yet-faithful depiction of the sport for your iDevice so you won’t have to wait a year or two before EA decides to step back inside the ring. All the set pieces are here. A journalist who will, for the next five minutes, act as if boxing is his thing? Check. A boxing sim not dug up from the depths of EA’s endless abyss? Check. A Chillingo title that wants to prove that fighters are able to be eloquently executed for the touch sensitive system? Check. Well then, there’s only one box left to be checked. Is it the amazing boxing experience that was promised?
If it wasn’t for the Matrix effect, Touch KO would be the definitive title to topple Firemint’s Real Racing visually. Unfortunately, a good amount of the boxers you’ll meet throughout your career look achingly similar. If it’s not Mr. Anderson, it’s Mr. Anderson. If it’s not Caucasian Boxer 1, it’s Caucasian Boxer 2. If it’s not Asian Boxer 1, it’s Asian Boxer 2. The various colours of the shorts and gloves on the boxers do not justify their carbon copy faces. We could slap a pink bikini with Air Supply artwork all over it and put it on Hugo Weaving and he’d still be Hugo Weaving. He’s not Keanu Reeves with the slick, pulled back ‘Chosen One’ hair – he’s Hugo Weaving. Admittedly, despite many of your opponents being the exact same guy you knocked out four fights before, they all look great. The models are surprisingly detailed and in our book have set standards for future character models on the iDevice. From the faces of the boxers, the ring itself and the animation of the jabs, hooks and haymakers; Touch KO is a winner. As the Mechtley Brothers have proven, there’s no reason why App Store titles can’t look this good. Frankly, we’d be quite surprised if anyone disagrees that this could pass for EA’s Fight Night entry on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Touch KO has a Fight Night-feel to it all round, including its soundtrack. We didn’t hear a strong line up of songs, but the various rap tracks in the game were adequate in recreating a Fight Night experience on the platform. Artists such as Hell Rell from The Diplomats aren’t onboard the Touch KO ship, but sound-a-likes do enough to hype you up before a fight. Bone crunching thuds and cracks are the standard affair. There’s nothing exceptional coming from the audio department, but suffice to say, we were a lot more focused on the visceral visuals and intuitive controls while being inside the ring.
Terminator Salvation showed us that third person shooters could work flawlessly with virtual joysticks, but Touch KO steps it up a notch control-wise in the absence of the twitchy circle things. Truth be told, we wouldn’t have blamed you if you doubted the game’s controls prior to its release. Without the use of any on-screen buttons, it’s surprising how intuitive the action feels. We accidentally skipped through the tutorials on our first playthrough and decided to man up instead. Upon setting up the first Quick boxing brawl of the day, pure genius greeted the first encounter as we deduced that jabs would fittingly be taps, hooks would be horizontal swipes and uppercuts would be vertical.
Controls felt natural and all doubts were dispelled. Perhaps the most commendable feature, the controls have become both a gift and a curse to how the fights play out. Everything just feels overwhelmingly easy. If you’re not familiar with the Fight Night series, you may not know that boxing requires at least a little strategy. Despite this, many gamers head in and spam the jabs to the head and body; not taking into account the level of stamina of the boxers. Unfortunately, this half-broken system is amplified in Touch KO. You’re given a stamina bar and a gradual damage indicator to show you how fatigued or weak your boxer has become. We doubt people will pay attention though, as we predict gamers to just glance over once or twice before the opponent hits the canvas. Taptaptap, swipe left, swipe right, swipe up, taptap, tilt and tap. Boom. Caucasian Boxer 1 falls to the ground. Rinse and repeat. Boom. Asian Boxer 2 falls to the ground. Although the controls are two thumbs up material, they are simultaneously a detriment to the overall fights.
The Mechtley Brothers are indeed crafty. They’re good at what they do and they’ve proven themselves to be capable developers. Touch KO stands head and shoulder above every fighter in the App Store visually, it gives craving fans of the boxing genre what needs to be given. In fact, the game ticks almost everything right and leaves no stone unturned. If you’re looking for a well refined boxing sim that provides cheap thrills packaged in a slick container, look no further. Just make sure you check your expectations at the door, because though it plays out well on almost every front, one fatal flaw keeps it away from being great. If it makes you feel any better, look at it this way: Touch KO is comparable to Tyson -- Great boxer, but plain stubborn.
- Sound: 7
- Graphics: 9
- Gameplay: 7
- Longevity: 7
7
Good
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