Reaper Man

Traditionalists may scoff, but progress is inevitable. People and places change, evolve – everything does. Take the Grim Reaper. The dramatic effect of his scythe is one thing, but it seems a little outdated in a world full of guns and knives.

The developer of Reaper Man has taken note of this. A side-scrolling shoot-'n'-beat-'em-up where you take on the role of everyone's favourite soul collector, the game features an assortment of usable weaponry much in line with the demands of the present – as you'll note when embarking on your mission to hunt down the names on your (long) list and find those characters rather keen to remain in the world of the living.

Of course, the resistance you face only spurs you on, albeit armed with guns, swords and whatever else you can get your bony fingers on. Don't discount the latter, though – should the weapons run out you can use your hands to rip the hearts out of your victims' bodies.

(Alas, the subtlety of a simple tap on the shoulder is lost in this day and age.)

Reaper Man's controls are pretty simple but they feel a little sluggish. Moving around is fine until you come under pressure and are frantically trying to fire your weapons, which is when things get far too tricky.

Still, with practice you should find yourself able to collect all the souls. Doing so does more than satisfy the completist in you: it rewards you with access to Carnage Mode. As the name suggests, ethics and morals go out the window, as you have free reign to tear across the screen and kill everything in sight. It's quite fun but does soon get repetitive.

Visually Reaper Man looks fine, although things can get confusing when you're surrounded by enemies. The sound, meanwhile, is theatrical graveyard material, which in conjunction with the phone's rumble feature (if applicable) adds to the deliberately over-the-top atmosphere.

If you're after an amazing fighting game, Reaper Man isn't it. There's nothing new here and what's on offer quickly gets repetitive. The only novelty is the ability to play as the Grim Reaper, but the dodgy controls ensure that whatever entertainment there is to be had remains well and truly buried.