Gameplay

Brawler games are usually hard to play. Virtual controls often fail to recreate joystick and button controls, but thankfully with Combo Crew this is not an issue. Fighting in Combo Crew is done with finger swipes to control who you're hitting and whether it is ordinary punching/kicking or combos. There are two modes in this game; King of the Tower and Combo Crew Mode. King of the Tower mode has you fighting to the top of the tower to fight Mr Boss. Prepare to fight wave after wave of enemies in the exact-same looking room for a while. This mode is great if you're looking for some cathartic brawling, swiping like mad and pushing to climb ever higher in the tower. Just don't expect for a change in scenery, or even much change in enemies. In short gaming sessions you get caught up in thinking 'just one more floor' while extended gaming reveals how repetitive every floor is and how much of a chore working your way up the tower feels.

Combo Crew mode is just fighting until you die. There are breaks in gameplay which allow you to pick up and play another time. If you do die in this mode, it is possible for a friend with the game to leap in and help out.

There are four different fighters, but two of them are inaccessible until you earn enough trophies. I found it never made a real difference to which you choose except for their visual appearance.

Graphics

Combo Crew's fighters and enemies are all cel-shaded, while the backgrounds and other art are slick and stylish 2D that all look pretty good. Prepare to see the same scenery A LOT.

Sound

The music is reminiscent of old arcade brawlers. There is an announcer and no shortage of kicking and punching sounds.

Control

The finger swipe based controls are better than using a virtual joystick and buttons. Instead of button mashing you will be furiously swiping at every room full of enemies. The controls are fairly simple and even if you don't use the combos or air attacks you can get a fair way into the game with alternating between one finger and two. The only problem I found with all this swiping was when the screen is filled with enemies, the swiping would often obscure most of the screen

Conclusion

Combo Crew is such a conflicting game from the makers of Squids. The visuals are stylish and the game offers a good alternative to joysticks and buttons and it is playable as a game. But once you spend more time with the game you will find yourself struggling to continue on as the game never adds in anything to break the monotony. Constant brawling in a room that looks like every one before it with enemies that you have fought countless times already as you swipe madly until everyone is knocked out. Check out this game if you really want a brawler that does something a bit different. Skip this game if you want a challenge and some variety.