Comix Zone is a very standard beat ‘em up that is not terribly different from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. It features combinations of kicks and punches to dispatch a constant stream of attackers. There are also randomly dispersed puzzle sequences that are clever and challenging, making this a hybrid of action scroller and puzzler.
The premise of comix zone features a comic book artist, Sketch Turner, who sees his cartoon villain Mortus come to life following a lightning storm. At the same time, Sketch becomes imprisoned within the pages of the comic he created and has to force his way through creatures of his own making to finally battle Mortus and free himself.
Comix Zone is a very standard beat ‘em up that is not terribly different from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. It features combinations of kicks and punches to dispatch a constant stream of attackers. There are also randomly dispersed puzzle sequences that are clever and challenging, making this a hybrid of action scroller and puzzler.
The premise of comix zone features a comic book artist, Sketch Turner, who sees his cartoon villain Mortus come to life following a lightning storm. At the same time, Sketch becomes imprisoned within the pages of the comic he created and has to force his way through creatures of his own making to finally battle Mortus and free himself.
A very neat aspect of this game is the fact that it
takes place within a comic book. Dialogue is the standard comic book style bubble. The backgrounds are very interesting and the levels are set up as comic book frames. There are three levels, each level taking up two pages of the comic book. Levels include: Night of the Mutants, Welcome to the Temple and Curse of the Dead Ships. These venues have a couple of stages each, ranging from New York City to a graveyard. While navigating through these levels, Sketch can perform basic fighting manoeuvres and can carry three items to help him in his inventory. Some of the items available include grenades, knives and dynamite. There are powerful super moves available by picking up Roadkill, Sketch’s rat friend or by tearing away the paper frames.
While Sketch battles his way through his own monsters, he is not without help. As previously mentioned, Sketch can use Roadkill to crawl into small spaces and reach things that he cannot. He also gains help from one of his other creations, General Alyssa Cyan, a heroic military commander who packs a great punch. With Mortus on the outside, and Alyssa and Sketch trapped within, they are at the mercy of Mortus’s evil pen, and he constantly draws more monsters for them to fight. The game features two different endings, depending on the outcome of the final battle, giving it a minor amount of replayability.
Technically speaking, the game features the vibrant colours one would expect in a comic book, and the overall layout is fun and different. The sounds are awesome, better than most beat ‘em ups, and features some great background music. The controls are simple and easy enough to master, making the learning curve short. In total, this is kind of a fresh take on an old format that makes this a good download for the innovative and classic gamer.
