Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn Review

The original Shaq-Fu was released in 1994 and was a product of its time. This was an era where we had games like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, after all. The concept was simple: take Shaquille O’Neal (a massive basketball star at the time) and make him the main protagonist of a new fighting game. It made sense at the time, considering that games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were among the top games available. Unfortunately, the combination ultimately resulted in a universally panned game, and Shaq-Fu is now considered one of the worst games of all time. Even though Shaq-Fu wasn’t the best game, it has received a bit of a cult following over the years, and the game mustered up enough support to get a sequel greenlit through Indiegogo, which brings us to Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn.

A New Direction

Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is a much different game than its predecessor. This isn’t another fighting game. Instead, the developers chose a Beat ‘Em Up style. I was pretty pleased with this direction for the game as it allowed Saber Interactive to keep things simple and fun. Shaq gets attacked by hordes of enemies as he walks through different stages, and you have to take them all out with various attacks. It’s as easy as that, and it’s pretty fun for the most part.

Story

The story is equally as simple as the orphan Shaquille struggles with bullying that comes from being 7 feet tall. An old man named Ye-Ye takes him under his wing and teaches him the ancient ways of Wu Xing. He grows up to master this fighting style, and then he and Ye-Ye return to their home village to see it being attacked. What comes next is Shaq fighting his way through each level to save his village.

Gameplay

It’s not a deep game by any stretch of the imagination, and the same can be said for most Beat ‘Em Ups. You’re punching and kicking your way through each level. There are cool features, such as launching enemies onto your TV screen, reminiscent of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. It remains satisfying today and offers a nice bit of nostalgia from a simpler time in gaming. There are some special kick moves that you can use by doing regular attacks to boost your kick meter up. These can be the kick to your TV screen (as I mentioned) or a big size 22 attack. Shaq can also dash from one side to the other and occasionally pick up weapons.

Enemies & Abilities

The levels are pretty long, taking around 20-30 minutes to complete, which is a nice change of pace from most Beat ‘Em Ups. There are plenty of different types of enemies, including some that will force you to change your strategy if they have shields or if they shoot projectiles. Fortunately, Shaq can become an armored machine called “Big Diesel.” It’s pretty awesome and pretty similar to Mecha-Michael Jackson in Moonwalker. The only thing you must remember with “Big Diesel” is to release steam so you don’t explode. He can even become a cactus called “Shaqtus,” enough said. There are also some unique boss battles in each level, but I don’t want to give too many details away.

Presentation

The art style in Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is ideally suited for this type of game, with over-the-top, cartoony graphics and sound effects that complement each other perfectly. The game features some crude humor, which, in my opinion, is not too bad, but some people may find it in poor taste. The voice acting is pretty good, and there’s even a new rap track sung by Shaq in the main menu.

Final Thoughts

While the game is enjoyable at times, it doesn’t bring anything new to the genre. It’s just like any other Beat ‘Em Up, and while that’s okay, I wish the team had added something to make this one stand out from the pack. Personality aside, it’s some pretty generic gameplay. Another thing I don’t like is the omission of any co-op. This is a single-player game, and it does not offer a multiplayer option. There’s just little reason to play this game more than once, other than the Shaq-o-pedia items and the extra difficulty level, and that’s a shame.