Although it got knocked for having repetitive elements, I thought Redeemer from Sobaka Studio was an old school blast (check out our review here). You assumed the role of a monk who had ties with an evil corporation with a cyborg fetish, and when they came knocking on your door, it was all out war. Our reviewer had this to say: "If you are a fan of old school beat em ups in a time when those types of games are few and far between, you're gonna love Redeemer. Although it does have some flaws, for the most part this is a solid, action packed shooter that will satisfy your desire for carnage." In short, we liked it a lot.
Sobaka's newest venture has a similar theme in an ass-kicking monk, and they released a demo at this year's gamescom. Unlike Redeemer, you begin 9 Monkeys of Shaolin as a novice, and you must fight your way through hordes of enemies on your way to becoming a true master of the South Shaolin style of marital arts. You'll be equipped with your badass battle staff and your powerful fists, and you'll need to gain mastery of both, plus develop fast reaction times as you battle it out with an army of ruthless enemies. Besides your staff, you do have a trustworthy companion to call in at a critical moment or you can use your mysterious magical powers to conquer your foes.
Check out the gameplay and comic-book art style in the trailer below, and keep an eye out for the release in winter of 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS and Linux.
