While sports on console have really come into their own, there’s no denying that the mobile landscape is still playing catchup when it comes to delivering satisfying experiences in this arena (pun fully intended). Arguably, there’s no sport where this dilemma is so pronounced as it is in boxing.
While sports on console have really come into their own, there’s no denying that the mobile landscape is still playing catchup when it comes to delivering satisfying experiences in this arena (pun fully intended). Arguably, there’s no sport where this dilemma is so pronounced as it is in boxing.
Players looking for the thrill of the ring are often directed to games that – while great – preach their own “over-the-top” approach, eschewing the feel of playing the sport for the fun of lampooning it. With Real Boxing, developer Vivid Games is hoping to change that. Designed from the ground up for the forthcoming iOS 6, Real Boxingis set to shoot for “watermark” status not only in the boxing genre but mobile sports titles in general.
Helping them get there is the company’s licensing of the Unreal Engine, which powers hits like Infinity Blade II, and, more recently, the much-lauded Horn. Vivid has devoted “very significant resources” to hunting down professional boxers in their home country of Poland and feeding motion-captured assets into Unreal. The result, they say, is set to be a game where players “feel every hook, jab and uppercut.”
As far as structure, Real Boxing is most definitely taking a page out of the books of the console counterparts with which it hopes to go toe-to-toe. Gamers will control boxers from an over-the-shoulder perspective, working their way up through “multiple players” to vie for the World Championship. The whole affair will take you through four different settings based on real world locations, allowing you to either go for gold or bolster your skills in “challenge mode.” The latter will – par for the boxing game course – reward your improved skill with swag in which you can customize your fighter, extra opponents, and new equipment.
Most definitely looks like a first class boxing title. Smells like a console quality boxing title. Is Real Boxing destined to join its racing-themed corollary as a top-tier sporting experience? We’ll be in the ring to find out as soon as we can. Stay tuned over the coming months to Gamezebo for more news, hands-on impressions, and our eventual review later this year.
