Rage Warriors

If post-apocalyptic video games have taught us anything, it's that being a tattoo artist, a body-building supplement supplier, or a cosplay shop owner is a nailed-on job for the future.

Apparently, there are going to be a fair few pumped-up, heavily-inked psychos walking around in steampunk gear come the end of civilisation.

Scrap those university applications, kids!

Rage Warriors is another game to set itself in this over-familiar dystopian setting. It probably won't surprise you to learn that it's not an Animal Crossing clone.

Nope, this is a one-on-one beat-'em-up. Not in the nimble, nuanced Japanese arcade brawler sense, but in the 'trundle up and thwack 'em with a rusty girder' fashion.

We may jest, but Rage Warriors is actually pretty effective at what it does, thanks to the developer's understanding that you can't get too clever with touchscreen-driven beat-'em-ups.

The controls are a simple case of 'left', 'right', and 'block' on the left of the screen, and three 'attack' buttons on the right. You have your basic light slash, your heavy special, and a good old fashioned hooligan-kick for opening up defences.

There's a fourth 'attack' button that appears when you fill up a special attack bar, which can initiate one of two special rage attacks.

Rage Warriors's combat system is in keeping with the setting - weighty, slow, visceral, and slightly predictable. But there's just enough strategic possibility to keep things interesting.

Success isn't dependent on fancy combos or lightning reactions so much as it is on observing attack patterns and exploiting weaknesses. In that way, Rage Warriors has as much in common with Infinity Blade as it does Street Fighter IV.

There are various weapon types to consider, both for your own warrior and when wielded by your opponents. Each handles differently, ranging from slow and powerful axes to lightning quick short swords, and they necessitate a surprising variety of approaches.

Not within individual fights, though. Each scrap is very much a case of finding a weak spot or an opening and pummelling it repeatedly, which means that fights tend to take on a familiar pattern even when the moves are different.

There are IAPs in Rage Warriors, but we appreciate the way they've been handled. You can play through the game without ever needing to spend extra money - it's just a way to hurry along the upgrade path.

Indeed, it's these additional weapons, as well as the ability to customise your combos, that have the potential to prolong the life of this simple brawler.

It's also worth noting that Rage Warriors's detailed 3D graphics are very well-handled indeed, even if the grimy art style is hardly inspiring.

As a slick slice of post-apocalyptic carnage, Rage Warriors is bound to tick a lot of boxes for many gamers. Those looking for something with a little more subtlety, originality, and depth, however, should probably give this rowdy customer a wide berth.