Kung-fu Akimbo
Zany platform game comes to Europe after enjoying success in Asia
Inspired by Japanese manga, developed in Poland with support from a Swedish publisher, and apparently a big hit in Israel of all places, "Akimbo : Kung-Fu Hero" is the new PC platform game from Iridon Interactive and Chaos Works. It has already been released in several Asian countries, including Taiwan and South Korea, and now Europe is about to get in on the act, with the Scandinavian release expected some time in March. An English version will follow on April 6th, available at a mid-range £19.99 price point, while a playable demo should pop up on the game's official website within the next few weeks.
Aimed at the teen and pre-teen market, Akimbo stars the eponymous kung fu fighting hero who must battle Fang, a dragon who has cast a spell on the usually friendly inhabitants of Turtle Island, turning them into "evil servants". Aiding you is Bobby Bump, a thousand year old giant turtle which you can ride around on in some of the levels. Featuring a mixture of hand painted backdrops and real-time 3D characters, six worlds to explore and a range of kung fu moves which would put Keanu "I know kung-fu" Reeves to shame, it certainly looks like it could be quite fun, and god knows the PC is woefully short on decent platform games. Quite what kind of illegal substance Chaos Works were consuming when they came up with this remains a mystery...