I have put so much time into Vampire Survivors that I genuinely get concerned about my own well-being when I look back. And ever since poncle blessed my screens with that game, I’ve been searching for the next one.
Karate Survivor is the closest anyone has gotten to this point for me. It has some flaws, but the overall package is solid enough for some quick spurts of gameplay—and it will keep you coming back once you get a handle on it.
Karate Survivor Is The ‘80s Action Movie Game I Can’t Put Down
When I first got going, Karate Survivor threw me off. The auto attack works on a visible timer. It’s the first difference between that and Vampire Survivors. And it eventually works to the game’s favor once you understand how it works.
You start off with a simple jab, and then the rest of the blank spots at the bottom of the film reel run through before a circular timer pops up to let you know when the next attack comes.
At that point, it’s on you to position yourself in front of the enemy to land the attack. You can see the range of it as it happens. Once you level up, you can add other attacks to the timer. There are two types of strikes, separated by color: red and blue.
If you chain attacks of the same color together, you get a damage bonus. You need to take advantage of it to start, because the game is challenging early on while you get adjusted. There’s no relying on ranged attacks when things get rough here; everything is melee-based.
After some time, you unlock more moves. Some that deal massive amounts of damage and attack all around you, versus just in front. And these moves become paramount to progressing. It takes a bit of time to understand the rhythm of the game, but once you do, it’s not smooth sailing, but you can navigate the waters.
The maps get hectic quickly, and learning them becomes pretty essential.
They can’t say it’s Jackie Chan… but come on
Movie legend Jackie Chan clearly inspires your character, and this influence is evident in-game. You can jump over railings and just about any desk you see. There’s one move that lets you sit in a chair and spin while kicking out to take out enemies.
It all plays out like an extended Jackie Chan fight scene. And that’s part of what makes Karate Survivor stand out. It truly is its own entry in the genre.
After some more unlocks, you can do things like using an oddly placed flagpole to flip into an employee break room to give yourself a breather. A very quick breather, too. Because you don’t have long to collect the stuff in the room before the enemies burst in the room and fill it up like Agent Smith in The Matrix.
Overall, Karate Survivors is a pretty good adaptation of the Survivors gameplay. It’s a tough go early on, but if you stick with it, the systems reward you for learning the game.
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Karate Survivor is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation consoles, Xbox consoles, and PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
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