9 Monkeys of Shaolin

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is an entertaining title that is loyal to the classic street fighting genre and also adds lots of cool new features to it. If you are a fan of the genre, don't miss out on it.

In sum, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a fun, accessible, and deeper-than-you’d-expect brawler that is perfect to co-op through with a buddy. Happy to recommend to anyone looking for a good experience in the genre or anyone that likes brawlers/beat’em ups.

Overall, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a very solid beat’em up. The only true flaw that I find is that, even with all the variety, the game can still get repetitive at times. It can feel a bit overwhelming once you start to unlock the modifier attacks because of all the different buttons you’ll be pressing, but there are combinations that seem to be the “go to” combinations for most battles – mainly hard-hitting armor breaking attacks. I definitely recommend this game to fans of beat’em ups or anyone that enjoys games that take place in ancient China (Dynasty Warriors fans!).

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is the type of game you pick up and play over the course of a weekend or after a long day at work. The martial arts movie style works well and wears its grindhouse love on its sleeve. Combat is entertaining and challenging, and like a proper beat ‘em up, you can have a friend join you for the ride. It’s over after about five hours, but in that time you’re treated to a really good time.

What 9 Monkeys of Shaolin lacks in typical beat 'em up fashion it more than makes up for with a dynamite combat system. The 5 hour campaign may feel a bit short, but replay-ability and co-op modes offer good value for the purchase. 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a great pick fans of the genre, or anyone wanting to get the best gameplay simulation of 70's Kung Fu movies. Don't let the terrible name put you off.

It doesn’t do anything new or revolutionary, but it does prove that the classic beat ‘em up formula still works, and if you just want to beat everyone up, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a solid option.

Overall, this is a brief game, though you can replay missions to max out your skills or find secret statues. That these unlock old-school modifiers like Big Head mode at least shows the game’s got a sense of humour. [Issue#182, p.136]

9 Monkeys of Shaolin plays well, but plays it that bit too safe. Its almost generic, lacking any real character of its own. It's alright though, better suited to short play sessions rather than hours of extended gameplay.

We got the same feeling playing this game and watching classic martial arts movies. It is fun and combat mechanics are great, but it lacks variety and has some technical flaws.

With its enjoyable battle system and great co-op mode, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a decent tribute to kung-fu movies of the 70s.

If you’re a beat-’em-up fanatic with a PlayStation Store balance to burn, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin might soothe your fighting spirit for an afternoon or so. But at $30, it’s hard to recommend to all but the most pugilistic players out there. If you’re looking for a PS4 brawler with a bit more meat on its bones, I’d recommend getting your hands on Fight’N Rage or Streets of Rage 4 first. Not only are they cheaper options, but they also offer much more bang for your gaming buck.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is so close to being a really good side-scrolling brawler that it physically hurts. Hurts worse than a rolling cartwheel kick to the soft and delicates. There's a truly brilliant, satisfying, fun and deep combat system here, but whether you can see it beneath the shadows, silhouettes, staircases and stupid Green Tea meters is another thing entirely.