Have Game, Will Play: Funk of Titans Review

Funk of Titans Review

Waiting at the DMV is the perfect place to pull out a mobile device, preferably a phone, and play something quick that you can make progress in. Apparently indie developer A Crowd of Monsters wants you to bring your Xbox One everywhere you go or they want you to have that quick bite-sized gameplay experience on your couch.

A Crowd of Monsters latest release, Funk of Titans, is a 2D infinite runner starring a funked-out Perseus who wants to bring back the aforementioned funk. This task can be accomplished by defeating the Titans of Pop, Rap and Rock. Perseus makes his way through levels running, jumping, swinging and attacking enemies. Collecting all the golden vinyl, not getting hit and finding the bonus stage unlocking Pegasus Idol are the main objectives. None of the stages are gated by these objectives so players can feel free to ignore them. The Pegasus levels are truly infinite and allow you to ride an interesting version of the mythical horse while collecting coins and tapping the ‘A’ button to stay afloat. Once you crash the bonus levels end – until you buy a ticket from the store or collect the idol in any level.

The in-game store uses the golden vinyl you collect and offers a wide variety of purely aesthetic(I think) options for your weapon and hat/mask. While the only requirement to progress is to reach the end of a level, many items in the store are only unlocked by leveling up. Completing a trio of feats for your father, Zeus, unlocks each level. The challenges Zeus lays out are pretty fair and are often calculated cumulatively so you’ll level up in no time. Nothing in Funk of Titans is going to win any awards for innovation but the boss battles are lacking in almost every area. They are ultimately just sloppy quick-time events that feel completely disconnected from the visuals and sound. Which is a shame because the game’s goofy yet funny premise builds them up so much.

Funk of Titans is fun and enjoyable for as long as it lasts but comes in at a price that is hard to justify. The $8.99 asking price is not greedy but the gameplay that Funk of Titans delivers can be replicated on just about any decent smartphone for a fraction of the cost. In a vacuum – I’d say go for it but in reality you can wait to feel this funk.

Recommendation: Worth a buy on sale – if you don’t have any other way to play a 2D side-scrolling infinite runner or really like 2D side-scrolling runners                                                                                                              Full Disclosure: The Xbox One version of this game was provided to GameEnthus by the developer.
Genre: Mobile-like infinite runner
Developer: A Crowd of Monsters
Publisher: A Crowd of Monsters
Platform(s): Xbox One
Price: $8.99

Links
http://acrowdofmonsters.com/games/funk-of-titans/
http://GameEnthus.com
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/gameenthus-podcast
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gameenthus-podcast-video-games/id286435007?mt=2

Scale:
Worth a buy – paying full price for fans of the series or genre makes sense – often includes a caveat
Worth a buy on sale – not quite full price worthy but close, – often includes a caveat
No – borrow it if you must play it
Please no – Don’t waste any time and/or money on it