Review cover Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Nintendo Switch)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): June 5, 2018
  • Release Date (EU): June 5, 2018
  • Publisher: Wired Productions
  • Genres: Beat 'em Up
  • Also For: Computer, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
In a year long-since forgotten, an unlikely hero rose to save a young boy from the clutches of an evil mummy in another dimension. In this modern age, can Shaq return to relevance in a story more absurd than the last?

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Welcome to the rebirth of Shaq. The spiritual successor to what has been dubbed the worst game of all time, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn looks to right the wrongs of Shaqs long-since passed. With a fresh story and a clean slate, can our basketbrawling hero be forgiven?

A Legend Reborn

Our story begins with a misshapen tale of Shaq's origin; a Chinese orphan bullied and abused for his height. In his isolation, a village elder named Ye-Ye takes an interest in him and teaches him the ways of Wu Xing, an ancient fighting technique. Shaq's incredible power is soon needed to fight off demons in the form of celebrities, each aiming to subjugate humanity by brainwashing them into moronic subservience. I have rewritten this introduction seven times now, and this is the best way I can describe the plot. It is perhaps the most bizarre and outlandish story I have ever encountered in a video game. Beyond the realm of rational and sensical, it smashes together familiar faces for the sake of a cheap laugh and a cameo, and it shouldn't work. It really shouldn't work; and yet here I am bewildered by just how much I enjoyed it. It almost serves as a metaphor for what the antagonist of the game aims to achieve, putting forward something so stupidly enjoyable you might believe the game has come to life.

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The humour of this game is a particular stand-out factor. Be it through the storytelling, or simple remarks made to introduce each new enemy, it's present throughout. It served as my main driving force to continue playing, and what a force it turned out to be. Of my time playing, only one joke really fell flat, where Shaq broke the fourth wall and started talking to the game designer. In that instance, I felt the game trying a little too hard to keep up what it had already done so well, but it was only there I really find fault. Obviously, humour is brilliantly subjective, so your experience may be a little more hit and miss. If the idea of the story has you amused however, you should find plenty to enjoy.

Shaq Attack

Beyond the nonsense and the humour, there is the gameplay. If you have played any modern, or classic for that matter, beat 'em up game, you should know what to expect. You play as Shaq and take on hordes of monsters a screen at a time, until you reach the end of the stage and fight a boss. Rinse and repeat until you beat the game. Everything about this contrasts the unique and interesting storytelling, putting forward something so generic in nature it almost feels wasted in this setting. To be perfectly clear, there is nothing necessarily wrong about the combat in this game, but I also struggle to think what sets it apart; what it does so differently to stand out. There really isn't much. I find myself disappointed in this respect, the thought of how simply this could have been escalated ever-prominent as I played. If Shaq's attacks were bigger, more boisterous, more outrageous and unique; if they worked the hilarity and stupidity into the combat, this game could have pushed its limits far beyond anything we have seen.

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When I first played this, I found myself expecting to see wacky combat like I had never seen before. It was a bit of a kick to see something so standard, but the game rather unexpectedly grew on me. With the story as motivation, and the gameplay itself not flawed by any means, it didn't take long to enjoy it as a generic beat 'em up. While I wish it could have gone beyond this, it does a good enough job of providing a means of appreciating the more praiseworthy elements.

The Third Dimension

Graphically speaking, Shaq Fu had me conflicted. On one hand, it puts forward a beautifully colourful and alive art style in its cutscenes and character design; on the other the somewhat muddied 3D space used for combat. At first, the difference really struck me. The 3D space in itself isn't an issue, but to go from something so fluid and refined to something quite simply less so; it's jarring. Like many of my complaints, they only really stand out as you start the game, and soon fade from your mind. Even so, it again lingers in my mind just what could have been. For everything the game does right, its fault to the core is in its consistency. If the gameplay matched the humour; if the artistic direction of the cutscenes flowed into combat. Each individual component is fine in and of themselves, but I'm left wanting to see them in better harmony.

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All things considered, Shaq Fu surprised me in all the right ways. Through its lack of consistency, it still puts across a brilliantly stupid narrative delivered by the Big Diesel himself. Although only containing six stages and around two hours for a complete playthrough, the experience offered goes beyond justifying its £18 price tag.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Great animated cutscenes
  • An obscure and constantly surprising sense of humour
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Reuses the same enemies throughout
  • Only six stages to play
  • Generic beat 'em up gameplay
6
Gameplay
While there is little necessarily wrong with the gameplay, it lacks a unique touch. Everything feels standard, and while it makes it fairly easy to pick up for veterans of the genre, it may leave them wanting more.
7
Presentation
How the game presents itself is difficult to properly gauge. Its cutscenes and interruptions from the gameplay are always something to look forward to and act as a motivation, but the actual gameplay looks lackluster in comparison. While you do grow accustom to the odd 3D graphics, I feel it would have been much better suited if the game stuck to the artistic style of the cutscenes for the entire game.
9
Lasting Appeal
Shaq has been on my mind more in the past few weeks than I had imagined he ever would. The game puts forward a short but sweet narrative I find myself already reminiscing about. It is a game I have recommended to friends and will likely continue to do so as the Barack Fu DLC becomes available in the near future.
7.1
out of 10

Overall

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a game by any normal definition should not exist. It is a game I am truly surprised people wanted and funded. To those of you who took the leap more than four years ago; I say thank you. I sit here with a rough diamond, most certainly not perfect, but memorable and hilarious at every chance it gets. While short, this is not a game to be overlooked—Shaq is back.
Finally we found the one game Reploid approves of guys, we can all go home now. He was just waiting for another Shaq Fu all along.
A you have poor sight
B you are butthurted cause I picked on your Grail previosly
C Both

I choose C.

*fanfare*

Keep amusing me~
 
A you have poor sight
B you are butthurted cause I picked on your Grail previosly
C Both

I choose C.

*fanfare*

Keep amusing me~
This is quite literally the first and only game I've ever seen you praise in any way. Well-made indies? You hate 'em. Top-selling and highly-praised AAA games? You hate 'em. New Shaq Fu made in Unity with the most generic combat ever? :grog:

I really don't know which game it is you're referring to as my "grail," either, since you've been critical of everything else up to this point.
 
Seems inexcusable for a game like this to not at least have local co-op. It's current year!
Precisely. Local co-op was deemed a deprecated feature for games to have at least 10 years ago.
Next you will be complaining about a lack of joystick support.
 
Precisely. Local co-op was deemed a deprecated feature for games to have at least 10 years ago.
Next you will be complaining about a lack of joystick support.
lol deprecated feature? What have you been smoking? local co-op is still a highly treasured feature with a lot of games. I'm guessing the difficulty in doing it right has made it less desirable to develop. But there are loads of people that like to actually hang out with other people. in person. and co-op games are the ideal. And in a game as generic as this, it would certainly add some needed value.

Seriously, though, that's a pretty silly thing to think co-op is a deprecated feature in games since at least 10 years ago. Also, consoles and PC all have joysticks for fighting games:P just because you have no interest doesn't mean the vast majority have no interest.
 
Your sarcasm detector may need some maintenance.
yes, because it's not an opinion that's expressed here at the temp in all seriousness. /s

Glad to know you aren't an idiot, though. :P I'm teasing. but seriously, glad you don't actually think that lol
 
shaq is the man, and he still is. the two favorite pair of shoes i ever had were both shaq shoes and i literally wore them until the soles wore down.
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): June 5, 2018
  • Release Date (EU): June 5, 2018
  • Publisher: Wired Productions
  • Genres: Beat 'em Up
  • Also For: Computer, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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