Some of the product descriptions for FaceFighter label it as a game with “rich and snappy gameplay” that will “satisfy even the most demanding fans,” but, in actuality, it’s more of a casual fighting minigame with the entertaining ability to import any faces you want.
Played in the horizontal position, the game pits you against a fighter in one of three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard. Now, Appy says that the game has four, but one of them is called “Appy Slappy,” and basically gives you a motionless opponent to beat on. (Great for getting out frustration if you have pictures of an ex who just dumped you; not so great if you’re looking to play a game.)
FaceFighter is entertaining, but it’s not all that deep or challenging for regular gamers, even on Hard. The fight screen features four buttons: two punches, a kick, and a block. Your goal? Beat up your opponent, block his hits, and knock him out. Extremely simple. You can execute combos by hitting the same attack twice, or alternating attacks, but like the rest of the game it’s not nearly as deep as it’s described.
The true selling point of FaceFighter is the ability to turn any picture on your iPhone into an opponent. While it does have its issues — for example, a big chunk of the visual damage looks like it belongs on a middle aged white male — it’s very entertaining, and extremely simple to use. Like simplistic face modification software, you simply import a photo (or take one), squeeze and rotate to line the eyes and mouth up in the right spots, and then squeeze and rotate to define where the outer limit of the head is. Voila; you have a new fighter to beat up.
Really, that’s all there is to the game. You use pictures, you make people you know into fighters, you beat them up, and you get to see some bruising and swelling, some of which will look realistic, and some of which will look extremely odd. There’s no career path, or single player progression; just a series of applying “Appy Fu” to portraits.
Ultimately, FaceFighter is more of a novelty app than a true game. If you’re looking for a fun fighting game on the iPhone, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a fun app to make fun of friends with, use at parties, or to let out that frustration, then FaceFighter may be the ticket. Just don’t expect anything near the level of fighting in a traditional fighting game.
