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Dragon Finga review – the art of awkward fighting

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By Luis D.

Updated: Jul 01, 2014, 7:52 AM

Dragon Finga review – the art of awkward fighting

Developer: Another Place Productions	Download: Android, iOS
Genre: Fighting	Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Now, who doesn't love martial arts? And by martial arts, we mean 'watching screaming Asian dudes drop-kicking each other into ground beef', of course. Dragon Finga, a first title for London's Another Place Productions, lets you live out your 'Drunken Master' fantasies in color and style. Awkward, ragdolling, exhilarating style. Dragon Finga is anything but your regular, functional fighting game. What is it that makes it so unique and full of personality?

It starts with how your character controls. There are no "kick" and "punch" buttons on screen. Instead, there are control points on your character's head and limbs, and you're supposed to swipe at them to get him moving. As you can probably imagine, this plays out with all the skill and dexterity of an intoxicated goat. Your character's movements are daft, hilariously botched efforts at fighting. The untouched ragdoll animations make impossible moves and positions possible, entertaining you with their absurdity. It's a light-hearted parody of martial arts that you'll love, because for the most part, it works!

After getting to grips with Dragon Finga's clumsy, physics-bending controls, which you'll be doing during the five introductory stages, your gibberish-grunting kung-fu teacher will throw you against actual opponents. Once you enter the arena, the games becomes all about survival. You will fight bravely. And clumsily. The fights are so dynamic that screenshotting is nigh-on impossible. And you will get beaten. A lot. But grieve not, because losing in battle is always a honorable defeat.

Each time your enemies overwhelm, you'll return to your master and spend your hard-earned coins and diamonds on upgrades that will make you a better, stronger fighter. As your stats progress, you will level up and unlock new arenas and upgrades to conquer. Most of the items and super-fighting powers you'll be unlocking are as funny as the game itself. There's a bucket helm - a bucket with an eye cut-out that boosts your attack power by a whopping 5%. You can also fight it out in a football uniform, or don a samurai helm.

It's a long, sweaty, and spasmodic way to the top in Dragon Finga. Whether you'll hang on long enough to see the game to its end depends on two things. The first is how long you can go on without having to exchange actual real life money for virtual coins spent on video game diamonds. The second is just how long Dragon Finga will manage to keep your interest. Because, as fun and refreshing as it is, the game is literally all about what we've described so far. There's no additional substance to it. But that's ok, we say, because Dragon Finga nails all the right points - it's focused on developing an original idea, it's very easy to get into, and it's not easy to master.

The presentation is top-notch as well - occasionally blurry textures aside, the visuals are brimming with life. The backdrops and graphical effects are full of detail and color, while the artwork holds tons of cartoony charm. Another Place Productions went for nothing less than creating a mobile smash-hit, and it did just that. The game is huge on Android and iOS right now. If you haven't had drunken-kung-fu fun with it, now is your turn.

Pros

Hilarious combat
Original concept
Awesome presentation

Cons

Limited gameplay
Reliant on in-app purchases

PhoneArena rating:

Developer: Another Place Productions	Download: Android, iOS
Genre: Fighting	Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

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Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.