Final Exam Review

Final Exam is a one to four player co-op beat-em-up that has just been released by Mighty Rocket Studio, and the game definitely feels like a throwback to the classic beat-em-up games from the 1990s.  But can a side-scrolling beat-em-up really compete with the games of 2013?  To answer succinctly: yes, yes it can.

Final Exam has players fill the role of one of the four characters and each character has their own unique fighting style. 

These different styles allow players to pick their favorite combat strength and it adds a nice balance to the gameplay.  Players that prefer melee attacks will have fighters that fill that role, and ranged players will have characters that will allow them to fill that role as well.

Brutal Joe, the ex-high school quarterback, excels in hand-to-hand combat given his size and strength.  Cassy, the street dancer, is also good at hand-to-hand combat but her moves have more finesse than Brutal Joe’s.  Nathan, the nerd, loves gadgets and is particularly good with explosives.  And finally, Sean is the bad boy who happens to love firearms, and is the best with guns.

Just because Sean likes firearms does not mean he cannot throw a mean punch!

The game starts out with a cutscene that shows the four friends on the way to a party when they are suddenly attacked by a horde of monsters.  It is from here that players will take control of their character and begin to fight back.  Well, technically the game will take you on a Tutorial. Then you take control.

On my first playthrough, I chose Brutal Joe because nothing says “old school beat-em-up” like some good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat.  I started the game off with a baseball bat with nails in the end, and the weapon seemed to do fairly well.  The basic attacks will take some time to finish off the enemies, but the Tutorial gives you some ways to spice up your combat by hitting enemies into the air or slamming them into the ground.

The Tutorial is excellent because it allows you to learn the basics of Final Exam without having to spend too much time learning the ropes.

On to graphics

The game looks great, and the colors really pop out.  All of the playable characters are brightly colored, and that helps them stand out amongst the waves of monsters.  Which is a good thing, because there are moments where the game surrounds you with monsters.

Thankfully Nathan decided to wear purple… seriously, it helps him stand out!

The monsters themselves look awesome as well, with many of them being a greyish-green with some bright accent color.  The Early Access version that I played had only three of the game’s monsters available as you play through the first level, but the game features several monsters that players will have to fight against.

One of the toughest enemies players will face is the Tank and he is not an easy kill.

The game also sounds fantastic

Melee attacks land with a solid “whack!” and the firearms sound great too.  The only gun I was able to get my hands on was the 9mm that you get during the Tutorial, but it makes a solid “crack” when you pull the trigger. 

Other guns are featured in the game, though I was not able to try them out in the Early Access version, players can expect a handful of different ranged weapons in the full version.  Listed below are all of the weapons you can expect to use against your unlucky foes!

Melee Weapons

• The baseball bat – just your standard run-of-the-mill baseball bat… with nails!
• Wrench – A gigantic, red wrench.  Perfect for beating up some monsters.
• Crowbar – It is a big heavy bar that works well as a weapon.
• Axe – A firefighter’s axe. 
• Sledgehammer – No good monster game is complete without a sledgehammer!
• Machete – Good for chopping down foliage… or monsters if need be.
• Slicer – The always classic butcher’s knife.
• Chainsaw – Ash Williams, eat your heart out. 

Ranged Weapons

• 9mm – Your basic handgun.  Not very powerful, but you have to start somewhere!
• Magnum – The .44 magnum.  The most powerful handgun in the world… feeling lucky, punk? 
• Shotgun – Your standard pump shotgun.  Great for short-range encounters, but prepare for some serious recoil.
• Sawed-Off Shotgun – A sawed-off double barrel shotgun… eat your heart out again, Ash Williams!
• Uzi – Submachine gun with a high rate of fire.  Uses the same round as the 9mm… just shoots them much, much quicker.
• Kalashnikov – The world famous AK-47.  Needs no introduction.
• Flamethrower – It shoots fire!  Easy on the trigger though, gasoline is expensive nowadays.
• Might Rocket Launcher – Need extra firepower?  Look no further.

Grenades

• Grenade – Your standard fragmentation grenade.  Works well if you get surrounded by enemies.
• Frag Grenade – Similar as above but causes multiple smaller explosions.  Good for covering a lot of ground with one throw.
• Molotov Cocktail – A combination of whiskey, vodka and a rag on fire…causes an explosion and sets enemies on fire.  Double whammy!

Now, a beat-em-up needs to have good controls to be any good, and Final Exam does not fail in this department.  I played on my PC with a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller and the controls felt really good.  The controls were pretty standard, with basic attacks being mapped to the X button and jumping mapped to the A button, but some of the controls are a little more intricate.

Aiming a firearm in Final Exam is similar to the system utilized in Deadlight in that you aim the gun with the right analog stick and then fire with the RT trigger.  I really like this setup at it is simple but also works really well.  I have absolutely no complaints with how the controls work in Final Exam, and they work really well with the flow of gameplay.

The best part at the gun-play is that if you jump and fire, your character will hover in the air with each shot you take.  This is extremely helpful if you are surrounded by enemies, as you can inflict some quick damage while staying out of harm’s way.  This little trick is not new by any means, but I love it all the same.

Another interesting feature that Final Exam brings to the beat-em-up is an extensive RPG-like system for upgrading your character.  As you progress through the game, you will unlock skill points to unlock new moves as well as points to increase your character’s stats.  Setting a high score will net you more points to upgrade your character, so completing the level while beating up enemies with combo moves is key.

Now, Final Exam has officially been released on Steam for any PC gamers as well as going live on the Playstation Network.  However, Xbox Live users will have to wait until November 8th to get their hands on Final Exam.  Trust me Xbox fans, the game is worth the wait!

Overall, I really like Final Exam and I think it makes a great homage to the side-scrolling beat-em-ups that I grew up with on the older consoles.  I only have the Early Access version of the game right now, but I am fully intending to buy the game for Xbox 360 when it releases.

Final Exam passes the test and gets a nine out of ten!