Have You Played... Charlie Murder?

Despite the occasional highlight that captures the imagination of the masses, beat ‘em ups are sometimes seen as also rans these days. Likewise, punk rock anthems rarely make their way onto the top 40. Ska Studios didn’t let any indifference to either deter them from making three power chord trick video game equivalent Charlie Murder.

Nasty demons walk the Earth, and, as you’d expect, they’re up to no good. So, it’s up to the five members of punk band Charlie Murder to save the world by punching and kicking everything that moves. Granted, none of that is exactly innovative, but what made Charlie Murder stand out when it came out was the inclusion of RPG elements.

By getting inked up at one of the tattoo parlours that are dotted about the place, you get special abilities specific to your class. And, like any good rockstar knows, costume changes are a must, which is why you’ll also find clothing that will increase your defence and attack stats. Look, I get that every video game has some RPG-ness now, but it was a bit novel in a beat 'em up a few years back. And, c’mon… who doesn’t want a magical tattoo?

While I remember it had an awful checkpointing system, and mini-games that more often than not got in the way, Charlie Murder was a modernisation of a genre I hold dear when few were going anywhere near it. Plus, it's called Charlie Murder.