If you combine the 80s funk craze, Greek mythology and the influence of Donkey Kong Country, you get Funk of Titans. The entire Greek culture just got its world flipped upside down with this new interpretation of the characters. The gamer will play as Zeus’ son, Perseus, throughout its groovy 2.5D adventure.
A Crowd of Monsters – not what it sounds like – developed Funk of Titans and teamed up alongside publisher EnjoyUp Games for the Wii U port. Released back in January of this year on Xbox One, the game received a decent reception from critics. The Wii U port will land on the eShop later this month.
In charge of preserving the legendary holy music of Funk, Perseus will traverse throughout the kingdom in three different realms of music, (Pop, Rap, and Rock) to restore their sacred tracks. Spinning classics in over 40 levels, you’ll collect vinyl records, slice and dice some fools and leap for the sky.
The music is so contagious that you’ll even notice enemies join in to show their moves. Gamers may find themselves bopping their head to the music. This run on platformers will have players timing their hits and jumps accordingly.
The inspiration from a majority of critically acclaimed platformers on Nintendo’s platform is evident. I got a Donkey Kong Country vibe from how the levels are laid out. The foreground although not accessible, gives the levels some sizzle; pardon my funk. Also with the inclusion of riding Pegasus in some segments screamed Donkey Kong yet again, more so than any platformer I’ve seen from an indie developer. That’s what excites me the most about the game. The fact it may or may not of intentionally ripped on the Kong aesthetic.
Although the eShop does not have a shortage of platformers, because that genre caters to most of the audience on the platform, a majority of them come off as ordinary. Most gamers look to Nintendo’s high profile releases to get their platformer fix, with the odd indie platformer garnering some attention but most slip into the pile of the forgotten. Funk of Titans is an interesting concept right off the bat and may have some pull with its interesting take on the genre.
One common gripe with the Xbox One version was the game ends before you want it to. The lack of content gets even shorter in the Wii U version with only 40 levels. For comparison sake, the Xbox One version had 50+ levels. Some may say that’s quite short considering you are paying almost 10 dollars for that amount of content. But it’s unique style and charisma differentiates itself to a point where you can’t help but dip your toe.
For those looking for something a bit off the beaten path and don’t take the Greek mythology too seriously, this game may hold your attention. If you intend to moonwalk your way to the eShop, Funk of Titans is coming to Wii U on May 14 in North America for $8.99. Can you dig it?
