The mobile platform may not be the most suitable for games with complicated controls. Making a somewhat complex game that's easy to control on a mobile screen is an art. Let's check out the second entry in the Shadow Fight series to see how they've managed to do it.
Classic martial arts action
Shadow Fight 2 is a free-to-play Android game that delivers a classic martial arts experience. It is visually stunning, featuring smooth character movements and attacks. The fighting looks realistic, proving to be much more than just mindless button mashing.Storyline and progression mechanics
There is a loose backstory, but it serves as little more than an excuse to defeat countless opponents on your way to the final boss. Outside of the main Story mode, you can participate in tournaments or survive enemy waves in arenas. You can also practice on a punching bag, learn new skills, and purchase upgraded weapons. The game uses two different currencies: one you earn through fighting and another you buy with real money.Mastering the virtual controls
While the action is visually impressive, you will often find yourself struggling to execute punches and avoid your enemy's strikes. The game doesn't allow for long combos since your opponent quickly falls to the ground. Different punching, kicking, and weapon strikes are executed by combining the virtual joystick with the corresponding buttons on the right side. Using the virtual joystick alone moves the character and executes jumps and rolls. It is difficult to master the moves on a mobile screen, and it will certainly lead to disappointment when you lose a match.The cost of free-to-play
The game implements an energy system where you lose a bar each time you fight a match. You also have the option to watch an ad to refill a single bar. The combination of premium currency, energy constraints, and advertisements makes this a freemium title heavily designed to extract as much money as possible. Good weapons are prohibitively expensive if you only use the regular currency, and having to wait around after playing just five matches is wrong.Questionable privacy requests
Also, the game requires permission to make and manage phone calls. They claim it is for user ID assignment, but being an amateur Android developer myself, I can say for sure there are other, less invasive ways to do that. It is suspicious, to say the least.
