It isn’t unusual for companies to try and take a formula that worked on one platform and try to recreate it for another. More often than not, it’s usually taking a console idea and trying to bring it over to create a mobile experience. For Funk of Titans, an auto running platformer from A Crowd Of Monsters, it’s quite the opposite; taking something that normally works so well on a mobile platform, and trying to create a solid console experience. Unfortunately, these experiments don’t always work out.
Funk of Titans is a game that came out of the ID@Xbox program, which allows indie game developers a chance to self-publish their titles on the Xbox One. In the game, which takes a whole new spin on Greek mythology, you are Perseus; the son of Zeus, and you are tasked with restoring funk to the world after a group of Titans try to challenge the throne. Spanning three worlds (stylized as Pop, Rap, and Rock) with over 50+ levels, you won’t be at a loss for play time.
In typical auto runner fashion, you are sent out on levels where you must time jumps to avoid obstacles, attack enemies, collect coins (or vinyl records, as the game calls them), and find collectible pegasus idols along the way. The game rewards you bonus coins by completing various challenges, which also rank up your “hero level,” allowing you to buy more armor and weapons, which in turn help you find more collectibles throughout the game.
To most, the gameplay might not justify the $10 price tag that Funk of Titans comes with, and I can’t argue much to the opposite; there just isn’t enough in the game to keep many gamers coming back for more. The real draw to games like this, and Funk of Titans is no exception, is the challenge of completing everything. Upon finishing an episode, the game rates you based on how you fared; not dying, finding the pegasus idol, and collecting all the coins in a level will give you a perfect ranking. While most may pick this game up and simply play through the levels before putting it down, the completionist in me found it very hard to simply progress through the levels without obtaining all three goals, which led to me restarting many levels.
It’s aspects such as these that keeps the game going for some. The drive to collect everything exists in a lot of hardcore gamers, and for them, Funk of Titans has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, for most other gamers, this just doesn’t have quite enough to justify the price.
One of the more redeeming qualities about Funk of Titans is the soundtrack; the music comes off as very catchy, and didn’t get old for me at all. However, it’s sad to see that the developers didn’t take much advantage of the genres of music they put in the game aside from the end stage boss battles; only then do you really hear the Pop, Rap, and Rock influences. Instead, we are left with a very similar sounding beat for many of the games levels.
In a world that isn’t lacking for games of this nature, Funk of Titans clearly tried to break the mold with a fun new take on Greek lore and an upbeat soundtrack. On the outside, it seemed like this game could have been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, to this reviewer, the game never really connected all the pieces, and instead of a possibly innovative rhythm based platformer, we are left with a very generic feeling game that seems like it’s best suited for mobile devices.
During my playthrough, I kept finding myself thinking that if this game were to be released for iOS or Android, I could see myself absolutely picking this up and enjoying this for many more hours then what was probably intended. However, on a console, you have to do something a bit more to capture people’s attention, especially if you plan on releasing it for a more premium price. Sadly, Funk of Titans falls fairly short of doing that.
This review of Funk of Titans is based on a digital copy for the Xbox One provided by A Crowd of Monsters.
