Story: The premise is simple enough, use your sharp dressed hero to punch and jump through levels, eliminating bad guys and recruiting new team members. All while the leader of his hero organization insults you, critiques your handiwork, and does little to nothing to lend a hand himself. You’ll need to learn enemy traits, make good use of super abilities, unlock new powers, rescue citizens to earn cash, and tackle big bosses if you want to prove your hero skills. A villainous plot is underway, but you can stop it, if you don’t screw it up like your fearless leader expects…

Entertainment Value: This is a top down brawler, but don’t expect to button mash your way through this one. Deadbeat Heroes rewards careful, skilled brawling, so you need to know your enemies, master the combo timing, and of course, throw out a quip here and there to look extra cool. The game starts with you controlling a suit wearing chap who has a special device on his fist that lets him inflict massive damage, so of course, you punch people with it, often. All you can do at first is punch and dash, which makes combat simple enough, but soon the game introduces new elements to expand your arsenal. As you progress, you earn new moves and with them, chances to build your combos even more and in turn, pull in higher level grades. You can soon juggle, attack stunned enemies, and execute wild wall-running attacks, all while quipping to add precious time to your combo windows. Yes, sometimes if you shout a one liner, you get a little extra time to keep the chain going, which I think is a cool inclusion. After all, our mentor in the game seems to think that looking cool is a big part of the hero business, so it makes sense. The combat controls feel solid and fun, but you do need to be mindful of your combo, as progression requires a certain level grade and your combo is the main element in that formula.

In addition to your punches, wall runs, uppercuts, and such, you earn power as you defeat enemies, which builds up your special meter. Once full, you can unleash a powerful attack that does immense damage or offers up a unique skill. So early on, you can uncork a huge damage charge that hits multiple enemies in your path, or turn invisible and attack from stealth, with others unlocked as you progress. So soon combat offers some solid depth and you can tailor your build to the stage involved, based on what kind of enemies dwell within. Some foes are simple brawlers, others wield guns and require more careful tactics. Another enemy wields a melee weapon and cannot be attacked unless he is confused, so when a screen is filled with various enemy types, it can be a wild, fun experience. The boss battles aren’t that memorable, but mix things up nicely and add some fresh encounters. As I said, controls are spot on and that ensures even hectic battles feel smooth, provided you are using the right tactics, otherwise, well that’s on you. The game’s visuals have a cool cell shaded look with simple, quirky designs that are fun to watch in action. I think this is a fun, well crafted game that fans of strategic brawlers will find a lot to like in.