Rage of the Gladiator Review

This has been a fantastic month for WiiWare. Eliwood reviewed Cave Story, while I took on Mega Man 10. We lauded both games for their retro goodness – Mega Man 10 continuing on the proud tradition Capcom started long ago, while Pixel’s masterpiece was a love story to Super Metroid. March also saw a smaller release – a love story to Punch-Out! (by their own admission). Can it stand toe to toe with the rest of the WiiWare releases this month, or is it the game that breaks March’s streak?

Rage of the Gladiator is essentially a boxing simulator that replaces gloves with a hammer and shield, and the ring with a coliseum. Scale back the graphics from the Wii release of Punch-Out!!, make a cheesy story to tie it together, and have some rather odd voice actors, and it will feel just like an expansion for the title.

Gracius, our over the top gladiator/character, is out to tell his story. But an array of ten bosses stands in his way – a Minotaur, a ninja, a snake charmer, and more. There’s nothing in between hammering these guys – it’s one boss battle to the next. Like the Punch-Out series, your job is to roll with the attacks: you can block, dodge, or jump to avoid taking damage, and each offers a further response. Dodging, for instance, will allow you a chance to start fighting back. Keep in mind that these games aren’t sport simulators by any means, they are, in fact, puzzle games. You need to analyze what your best options are for each of the bosses, and then act on it. Patterns can be detected, and the characters eclectic voice-work will sometimes give you subtle tips.

Should you be able to make several connections with your mighty hammer, you’ll be rewarded by being able to unleash beefed up moves and combos. If you’re able to knock out the foe three times, the fight is over, and you’re rewarded with an RPG style upgrade system. You get three points to invest in the fields of Magic, Offense, or Defense. These decisions will impact the rest of the game, too, albeit nothing too noticeable in my playthroughs. Nonetheless, it does offer reason to invest more time in the game to see how your decisions will affect you.

Once you’ve gone through the ten bosses, you get the option of blazing through them again. However, this time, they’re not as easy (which is testament to just how hard the game can be) and throw in some new tricks. Essentially, it’s like you are duking it out with 20 different characters – it just so happens they look alike. To top it all off, there is an epic final, 21st, boss. Taking on this guy is about as pleasant as getting teeth pulled, but it is more than worth your while

Graphically, Rage of the Gladiator is one of the best on WiiWare. The focus isn’t trying to make the game as a whole a work of beauty, it’s defining the characters. No two look alike by any means, and each has fluid motions. Never is there any discernible lag. This may not seem like a big deal, but couple that with the awesomeness offered by Wii Motion Plus, and you have a game that just feels great to play. In fact, it’s a package that I absolutely love to death – as the music is really the apogee of it all. It just fits so well, and gets you into the fighting spirit.

Rage of the Gladiator won’t be for everyone. So much of it feels like a cheesy and tacky Punch-Out! clone. If you didn’t like said series, and you’re not big into nothing but half-hearted humor, you’re not going to like Rage. On the other hand, if you’re as starved for new blood in the Punch-Out! realm as I am, I assure you, Rage of the Gladiator is a must own.

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