The fighter genre, once believed to be incompatible with touchscreens, is experiencing a renaissance. Gone are the watered-down remakes with clunky controls. These days, developers build brawlers with cutting-edge graphics, responsive mechanics and fluid frame rates.
You might say the Shadow Fight series kicked off the revolution. It pushed the limits of production quality during an era when few others could or dared to. The latest installment in the popular franchise, Shadow Fight 3, continues the tradition with a familiar control scheme, a spectacular presentation and deep gameplay.
You start by customising your fighter – male or female – outfitting them with unique faces, hairstyles and costumes. Then it’s on to training, where you quickly learn the ins and outs of winning matches.
The brawl system uses a combination of onscreen movements with button taps to execute both simple and complex manoeuvres. While this might have proved daunting, fighters respond quickly to your commands, and the silky-smooth graphics never falter. In minutes, you’ll be dealing out powerful combos rendered with beautiful shadow effects. There are even three unique fighting styles to choose from.
The game is impressive. All manner of fighters come to life with smooth animations and detail. And crisp backdrops, with stony mountains and spitting fire, add flourish to the atmospheric experience. As you upgrade your characters, they'll meet opponents sporting new gear and more powerful weapons, all represented with rich visuals.
With all those famous superheroes and shape-shifting robots to choose from, the fighter genre has a lot to offer. But don’t miss this stalwart, back and better than ever.