I was pretty harsh on the first Drunken Fist, finding it to wear out its welcome pretty quickly. This sequel had the chance to give us more bang for our buck, however, if anything it feels like a step backwards.
The same wobbly, inaccurate physics are in play here, with our protagonist a pain in the ass to control, whether that’s movement or combat. This time round though we’re fighting through hordes of zombies as opposed to similarly intoxicated party goers. Not that that changes much, although one of the few improvements in Drunken Fist 2 is the quite chunky effect when we kick a zombie head clean off.
They shamble towards us, and when it comes time to throw down, things devolve into a mess of flailing and swiping and quite simply hoping for the best. As with the first game, the kick is basically a one hit win button, although the inconsistent accuracy means actually hitting a kick is easier said than done. More often than not I simply kept tapping the kick button and waited for the chunks to fly. Pressing buttons too quickly interrupts the current animation – including using the analogue stick, which is annoying to say the least.
The option to urinate on the floor returns (huzzah) and we still collect bottles of beer, although this time it’s these that refill our health rather than having to maintain a drunk meter. There are also weapons to pick up occasionally, although they don’t last long and are prone to the same iffy collision detection and physics.
Probably the strangest step back here though is the removal of specific level goals. Whereas in the first title we had to defeat a certain number of different enemies, here we just get a round number to beat despite there being clearly different types of zombies.
Not that it matters much, mind. As before, after beating the first few enemies we’ve seen all the game has to offer. The only motivation to continue really are achievements or the sheer sense of duty to beat all five levels even if you could be playing something else entirely. There’s the occasional funny moment when the physics work in our favour – one moment saw me swipe a jumping enemy out of the air with a single blow before the same swing arched round to kill two others in quick succession – but theses are few and far between, and certainly not worth the boredom and repetitiveness for the rest of our time here. ‘Wacky’ physics-based games have kind of had their time, and the best options (Gang Beasts, Human Fall Flat, I am Bread, etc) are still out there should you want to check out examples of the genre done well.
Conclusion
Much like it’s predecessor, Drunken Fist 2: Zombie Hangover is capable of providing a few laughs at times, but it wears out its welcome very quickly and feels like it has taken a step or two backwards rather than forwards.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
