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A swift punch to the testicles is an intensely fun experience. Traditionally this was only ever true if you were the puncher rather than the punchee; but thanks to massive technological advances in hand-to-hand combat (i.e: 2 player video gaming) even the punchee can suffer a king-hit to the mummy-daddy-button and come out the other side laughing (and with the ability to reproduce). Yes, this game was a bold pioneer that revolutionized the way gamers perceived the taboo subject of the “nut shot”. Without IK’s trail-blazing influence Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage might never have quickly done the splits and “checked your package”; and we, as gamers, would have all missed out on something special. We all hold a debt of gratitude to IK+ and I hope to honour it here today…
Firstly let me voice my one gripe about this otherwise stellar game. It is an absolute sin that this game features a 3 way battle royal; and only allows 2 players to participate (the third slot is always taken by an AI character). It would have taken five minutes worth of coding to include a 3 player keyboard option….A goddamned SIN I tell you! ….Ahem, now that I have that off my chest let me extol the virtues of this chop-saki classic, because minor faults aside; IK+ is one of the greatest games ever created for the Amiga.
Essentially, the gameplay revolves around three karatekas beating the living snot out of each other within a set time limit. Points are tallied at the top of the screen and whoever has the least by the end gets unceremoniously told to bugger off by the karate master. It’s a simple enough concept that is made more interesting by the wide variety of moves and strategies that are available to the fighters. Should you rush across the screen belting out a flurry of headbutts at your opponent, or will his flying kick ironically cure your cranium fixation? Do you deliver a barrage of bitch slaps or will the enemy spin about and deliver a timely “how you doin’” roundhouse to your face? Imagine the potential for fun in these deliciously violent scenes, and then imagine them at three times the pace. Hilarity: thy name is IK+ on the TURBO speed setting I lack the adequate eloquence to do it justice.
To break up the craziness of the main game IK+ also features two manic mid-level minigames. One involves frantically kicking away time bombs and dodging the subsequent shrapnel. The other requires you to protect yourself from fuzzy balls o’ death (and the occasional severed head) with a metal shield. Successful completion of said minigames can greatly increase your score which translates into higher coloured belts. Better belts mean a harder AI challenge and potentially more jealousy from your puny human opponents. This can only be viewed as a good thing.
Visually, the game has only one backdrop, but man, what a backdrop. The perpetual sunset that is reflected in the shimmering ocean is a beautiful vista that never seems to irritate the eyes. The background is kept interesting by random cameo appearances by Pacman (go figure) and random fish among other things. While it is a strikingly dramatic scene; you’ll spend the majority of your time focused on the fantastically fluid karate animations. The smooth martial arts maneuvers look impressively painful and the collision detection is razor sharp. The whole experience is kept quite comical and it should be noted that the inclusion of shadows for the characters is handled quite well and is pretty advanced, considering the era.
Well it’s official: I’ll be humming the theme to IK+ for three months after I am dead. It’s a catchy little oriental ditty that repeats itself ad nauseum throughout the entire game, and yet it never gets old. The music perfectly suits the tone and intermingles well with the various aural lunacy that occurs around it. When I say lunacy, I mean IK has some of the most entertaining sound effects featured in any fighting game ever. Mostly lifted from classic 1970s Bruce Lee movies; the sound bites feature exaggerated whip cracking punches, camp chinese gongs and howling kung fu screams. This impressive cadre of sound effects does an impressive job of enhancing the chaos of the proceedings. Especially the pained whimper of someone copping one in the family merchandise, truly cringe worthy stuff.
In conclusion, I’d say that if you haven’t played IK+ then you haven’t truly gamed (if that is indeed a word). Everybody here should play it at least once in their lifetime, preferably with a friend, willing or otherwise. It plays like an absolute dream and it’s chock-full of fun/violence. I’m confident that if you sample IK+ and you can’t appreciate it for the classic it is; then you require a punch in the balls yourself. It’s a bold claim, but I stand by it with confidence.
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Silky smooth animation. Pacman makes an appearance. It's got everything you need really.
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I haven't copped an aural experience this pleasurable since my trip to Bangkok ....uh.....because....t-t-they had this philharmonic orchestra playing in the red light district. Yes, that'll do.
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Kids, it's like shooting a pure hit of fun directly into your veins. I haven't had a pure hit in my veins this good since my trip to Bang.......nevermind.
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| There's a party on your Amiga/emulator and everyone's invited (but only two of you can enjoy it at a time). |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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