UNRULY HEROES Review for PlayStation 4

UNRULY HEROES is a charming treat. French developer, Magic Design Studios, has successfully delivered a vivacious platformer based on the very philosophical Chinese novel, Journey to the West. Battle, jump, and glide through twenty nine levels that are far from the often-mundane repetition that tends to plague the platform genre.

Visually—love, love, LOVE. Colors, vibrant. Environment, varied and perpetually stunning. Enough said. One gaze upon the screen and you will see for yourself. Simply spectacular.

Platformer and co-op are seemingly synonymous these days, so rest assured that you have single player and co-op to choose from in UNRULY HEROES as well. For those of you familiar with the Chinese tale (if so, good on you), you will enjoy the opportunity to play as each of the four protagonists: Sanzang, Wukong, Kihong, and Sandmonk. If you have no idea what I’m talking about—no need to fret, I didn’t either until presented with this title, but the game does a really good job of explaining each of the characters’ personalities and special attributes. Assuming you are more dexterous than myself, you may find it to be a welcome challenge to switch between four characters at the drop of a hat, but I found it to be an easy avenue to the thrusts of death…repeatedly. For the average gamer, co-op mode is more user-friendly and less stressful on the fingers, but both modes are worth a try.

Aside from the occasional hand-cramp, the mechanics are smooth and straight forward. UNRULY HEROES maintains the integrity of a true platformer in its commitment to linear ‘one way forward’ levels. Combat is easy to master with fun martial arts combinations.

If I have to poke at something—which I must—it has to be the dialogue. I appreciate the jovial spirit, far differing from the novel’s profoundly introspective nature, but it tries a little too hard to be breezy. The NPCs tend to enjoy the sound of their own voice and pepper subsequent monologues with too much modern slang. Phrases such as “my bad” rob the cultural aspect of the game, taking what could have some legitimate depth  to somewhat of a poor man’s Kung Fu Panda. Not necessarily the worst thing in the world, but a bit jarring.

Does it have spectacular replay value? Not really in single player mode, but as a casual co-op, UNRULY HEROES can amuse for quite some time. It is no easy feat creating an entertaining experience while maintaining the integrity of a preexisting story (sorry, Call of Cthulhu), but when it is done right— pure magic. I would be a liar to say this is a platformer to withstand the ages, but for what it is, it’s a damn good time.

Rating: 8/10

Check Out the Unruly Heroes Trailer:

Unruly Heroes is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.