Have you ever fantasized about being a kung-fu master? Have you ever fantasized about being a kung-fu master with a seemingly endless wave of enemies bearing down on you, only for them to be crushed by your might? Well then numerous kung-fu movies and One Finger Death Punch 2 are just what the doctor ordered! Following the success of One Finger Death Punch, Canadian developer Silver Dollar Games has released a direct sequel that features the same fast paced and frenetic gameplay.

The gameplay is fairly simple. You control a stick figure that takes on attacks from the left and right sides on a 2D plane. The controls are also simple, but timing is crucial. One button attacks enemies coming from the left and another attacks enemies coming from the right. There are no other buttons for combat. The developers didn’t want the game to be a button-masher, so you have to be precise with your button presses. If you press too early or too late, you will most likely take damage and take a lower level rating or have to try the level again, if you are taking a lot of damage. The variation occurs with different weapons, enemies that take multiple hits, and the need to block or dodge incoming projectiles. 

The visuals and audio are the real treats within the game. The visuals have been ramped up from the previous entry, enhancing practically every aspect. There are a lot of appealing animations that take place over the course of the level, but the finishing blows are especially fun and zany. The music and sound effects perfectly add to the action as well. The music bounces back and forth between a traditional Asian sound, electronic club, and modern metal. The sound effects are spot on with all the bone crunching, limb snapping, and general combat sounds that occur, along with the perfect narrator. Hearing the smooth “godly” or “legendary” after a hard battle offers a nice reprieve before jumping back into the fray.

Despite the fun audio and visuals, the gameplay is very repetitive, and that becomes apparent quickly. It felt like after 30-60 minutes of playing, everything had already been seen and done. The skill point system is interesting, but has way too many categories and ultimately feels pretty useless. Playing for long sessions is more or less impossible, due to how taxing it is on the eyes.

Overall, One Finger Death Punch 2 is full of action and pleasing visuals. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough variety to keep the player coming back for more and more. It improves on the formula set by its predecessor, but doesn’t do a lot to distinguish itself.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

GotGame is on OpenCritic, check out our reviews here.