Shing! Is a new side scrolling, story driven beat ’em up from indie game studio Mass Creation.
From the very start this title exudes polish and takes a confident stance with its slightly unorthodox take on a side scrolling beat ‘em up.
Shing! can be played either solo, swapping between members of your ninja team, or with a group of up to four players in local co-op. (Online co-op is touted to be in the works)
At first glance Shing! Appears like any other “double streets of final dragon rage” type affair, but as you set off on the initial tutorial stages you discover the unique control system. Shing! utilizes the right directional stick to deliver attacks and weave combos, in a kind of “twin stick shooter” style but in the form of a 2d side scroller.
Your team consists of four different members, each possessing their own unique strengths, weaknesses and personalities. The voice acting is on point and really helps deliver the story as well as developing empathy between you and your team. As your team journeys through the eight stages you can be able to swap between these four characters on the fly, this allows you to instantly select the right “tool for the job” and also chain together attacks across characters.
The graphics are really well presented and very polished. Story and cut scenes are presented in a hand drawn anime style which works really well with the subject matter. Audio is great, as well as the aforementioned top notch voice acting, the music and effects are equally well balanced and utilized.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the twin stick control, it felt too much like patting my head and rubbing my belly, I’m sure that in time it could be come second nature, but I couldn’t be bothered to relearn years of side scroller muscle memory. Thankfully the game gives us quitters the option to use a more “button mashing” traditional layout, which felt much nicer to me.
While the game is for the most part a slick and stylish fighter, it’s punctuated by puzzle elements. While these are in no way difficult, the reason most people play a beat ‘em up like this is to just switch off and enjoys some mindless fun. I don’t personally think these two elements marry very well, felt like speed bumps in an otherwise smooth experience. It would be like playing extracts from “Who wants to be a Millionaire” at 20 minute intervals during an 80’s Van Damme flick.
Overall a fun and slightly different entry to the beat ‘em up genre with a spot on price point.
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