Martial-arts is a very important part of my life. From training to teaching and everything  in between, it’s more than something I do, it’s a lifestyle. Being a gamer as well it’s only natural that I like fighting games. Imagine my surprise when I came across this game, Shaolin vs Wutang. I hadn’t heard anything about it, but I took a chance and downloaded it. I’m glad that I did.

This game is a love letter to all the old school kung fu movies out there. Everything is there the music, the sound effects, even the character designs are modeled after the actors and actresses who starred in said films. There are 30 fighters in this game, all spanning the breath of martial arts. Several forms of karate, kickboxing, Muay Thai and a hand picked selection of various forms of kung fu. It totally has the look and feel of those great martial arts films of old, many you may not have even heard of.

Visually speaking, the game is a mixed bag. It’s a budget title, I think I paid $20’s, so although they didn’t have a big game budget, what they do have is fine. The stages seem to be as varied and colorful as are the fighters themselves. Again, this is where the character animations shine. It’s really impressive to see each fighter do their thing in the arena.

For the most part, learning to play the game is simple. There is only one move list that applies to everyone. Once you’ve got the mastered, and it doesn’t take long, you can apply that knowledge to whichever  person you choose. There are no fireballs, super crazy special attacks, everything is grounded in reality. The only thing lacking is an online multiplayer. You can either game solo or you can choose a survival and tournament mode.

If you like martial-arts and you are a fan of old school kung fu movies, this game is a must buy. It’s ruff around the edges but it’s worry of a pick up. I recommend that you buy this game. At a great price with tons of fun to be had, this one is easy to recommend.