Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn

 Switch
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 68
  3. Negative: 20 out of 68
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  1. JackintheBox333
    Jun 5, 2018
    7
    I have played more of the original Shaq Fu than pretty much everybody who has ever existed. So I know pretty well exactly what this game is trying to build on. So with that out of the way, what does this game have in common with its infamous predecessor? Absolutely nothing.

    The characters from the original? Thrown out and disregarded. The only thing that comes close to resembling    I have played more of the original Shaq Fu than pretty much everybody who has ever existed. So I know pretty well exactly what this game is trying to build on. So with that out of the way, what does this game have in common with its infamous predecessor? Absolutely nothing.

    The characters from the original? Thrown out and disregarded. The only thing that comes close to resembling anything from the original is the ancient Chinese master which has been transformed from what was a Mr. Miyagi rip off in the original Shaq Fu to something else. The game also gleefully riffs on product placement that was rampant in the original Shaq Fu, by replacing it with Icy Hot and Gold Bond. It sorta works.

    The game play is fairly sound and the controls responsive. For a beat-em up, it plays fine. If you're looking for something to innovate the genre, look elsewhere, however the game does manage to get a decent amount of enemies on to the screen at once and has quite a few enemy types, which can provide a suitable challenge.

    There are some nitpicks worth pointing out. You cannot rebind the controls. The default setup is all you get. While the default setup is okay for the most part, with the exception of the jump button, having the option would have been nice.

    This is also a single player only game. A beat em-up that is a single player game.

    Also the biggest issue is the game's length compared to its price point. The game is $40 for 5 hours of gameplay. The game is good, but that is a lot of money to command for a purely single player experience.

    However the gameplay, what is here anyway, is good. The dialogue, pretty funny at parts, and there are quite a few references in the game to Shaq's playing career and music/acting career from the obvious and not so obvious. If you're a fan of the Houston Rockets, there is a dig in the game about them, as they were the team that swept Shaq in his first NBA finals appearance.

    Bottom line: The game isn't perfect, but dangit they actually delivered on making something that didn't suck, and took the premise of the license and went as far out as they could. I've played better games, but this game doesn't suck. So in that regard they succeeded.

    Also bonus points for Shaq's rapping actually being decent.    … Expand
  2. SuperkenGaming
    Jun 5, 2018
    5
    Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
    Shaq is back
    A Legend Reborn is a 3 hour long beat up game where you play a once ordinary Chinese boy shaquille o niel however you weren’t as ordinary as you think you have the mark.. the mysterious birth mark of the chosen on So you set out to take down celebrities to get one step closer to taking down yen lo wang as the prophecies have for told… And this    Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
    Shaq is back
    A Legend Reborn is a 3 hour long beat up game where you play a once ordinary Chinese boy shaquille o niel
    however you weren’t as ordinary as you think
    you have the mark..
    the mysterious birth mark of the chosen on
    So you set out to take down celebrities to get one step closer to taking down yen lo wang as the prophecies have for told…
    And this game is just not fun.
    Shaq Fu tries to do the whole Suda51 thing which is really its only saving grace
    its full of pop culture references, one of the boss battles is against what I’m assuming is kim kardashians butt though in the game shes given a different name.. but we know the truth…
    youll be taking on a number of others here as well that I wont spoil, but every level ends in a boss fight..
    These levels though just drag on forever..
    back to the suda 51 thing.. the constant jokes are the only thing that kept me going through this game..
    however theyre poorly delivered by the game..
    not the voice actors..
    the voice acting is fine, the writing is great..
    it just feels so awkwardly placed in game.. there are never smooth transitions such as moments where shaq breaks the 4th wall to tell the game designer to stop with the endless waves of enemies..
    and I wish he would’ve taken shaqs advice..
    all enemies in every level is pretty much the same enemy with a different skin, and youre mashing buttons punching and kicking filling up a meter to unlock a powerful move rinse and repeat until you get to a boss fight, which is the only fun moments of the game..
    but from the beginning of a level to the boss is just a monotonous grind with the occasional fun moments of being big deiseal or shactus slicing through enemies like warm butter while the game slaps you with some pretty offensive stuff and the occasional icy hot patch
    Shaq Fu A legend reborn is a functioning game but that’s about it..
    its playable though a boss fight against paris Hilton stopped working twice forcing me to restart.
    the ridiculous humor is all this game has going for it.. and with the poor delivery of the humor through the game, saying that is even a stretch,
    I give Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
    a 4.5/10    … Expand
  3. Lighthouse90
    May 23, 2021
    7
    A genuinely fun game that is difficult to put down. The sequences are corny but graphically well done. Good soundtrack as well.
  4. Begew
    Nov 10, 2022
    5
    too simple and too repetitive but some people might have a good time with it

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
49

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 5 out of 11
  1. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jul 19, 2018
    45
    Trying to play the nostalgia chord is risky, because it has its own limits. It shows, in Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn. Despite its hilarious scenario, the game is repetitive and devoid of any attempt to create something new.
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  2. FNintendo
    Jul 16, 2018
    40
    Its overly simplistic visuals are easy to forget and its repetitive combat system does not do a lot for the player's amusement. A missed opportunity to make something more memorable that could rival the original game.
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  3. Nintenderos
    Jul 8, 2018
    30
    A bad experience in multiple ways. It seeks to be entertaining, but has a repetitive gameplay. Seeks to be funny, but turns out to be antiquated. If A Legend Reborn sought to clear the name of the original Shaq Fu, it has failed miserably.
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