Funk of Titans is a fast-paced, side-scrolling platformer developed and published by the indie group A Crowd of Monsters. In Funk of Titans, you take control of Perseus, son of Zeus, and try to protect the Funk. You will venture through 3 different "worlds", Pop, Rap and Rock, each with its own unique level style and Titans (bosses).

Funk of Titans is a very fun and simple game, but can be very addicting. The concept is simple, run through the many levels, pick up as many "vinyls" as you can, try to find the hidden Pegasus and make it to the finish. I will explain what the vinyls and the Pegasus are used for later in this review.

The controls for this game are very simple. You do not control the direction in which Perseus runs. He runs all on his own, so there is no going back to grab any vinyls that you might have missed or to look for the Pegasus. The A button is used to jump and B, Y or X can be used to attack. It doesn't matter which attack button you use as every enemy takes only one attack to defeat it.

Speaking of enemies, there are only a couple main types of enemies. Enemies that wear white helmets can be attacked or jumped on for a boost. At certain parts in almost every level, jumping on one of these enemies helps you get more vinyls or access certain parts of the level you cannot reach any other way. There are also enemies with red, spiky helmets on. These enemies must be attacked and cannot be jumped on. Certain doors or barricades must be attacked to open and there are also spikes, fire and other obstacles that you must jump over in order to not take damage.

When it comes to damage, there is no life meter or anything like that. You can only take 2 hits of damage from any enemy or obstacle before you "die" and must start the level over. After you take one hit of damage, you will become "naked". Perseus loses his costume and continues running through the level. If there are any more hits from enemies or obstacles, you lose.

The vinyls you save up from each level can be used in the "Shop". The Shop contains many different weapons and consumes you can use in the game. Since it only takes one attack to defeat any enemies in levels, the different weapons don't make any difference when it comes to attacks. In certain levels, you are required to have certain weapons equipped in order to break down doors that have Pegasus behind them. This is about the only use the different weapons have. When it comes to costumes, they are mostly used for looks, not much else, except when wearing a certain costume for a set number of levels in a requirement in order to level up.

During the game you level Perseus up, which unlocks more weapons and costumes that become available in the Store. In order to level up, you will be given 3 tasks that you must complete. These tasks range from defeating a certain number of enemies to jumping at least a certain number of times in one level. I found that there was a good variety of requirements to level up, which kept the game interesting.

Whenever you find a Pegasus in a level, you get to play the Pegasus Bonus Round. This mini-game is a "Flappy Bird" type game. You hold down the A button to make Pegasus fly higher and let go to fly lower. It is fast-paced and you have to try to fly as long as you can while picking up vinyls. If you die during the level that you found the Pegasus, you have to get it again in order to play the bonus game. I found the bonus game to be pretty fun and give the game as a whole some variety. Finding all of the Pegasus' in the levels can be tough too.

The "Worlds" in general remind me a lot of the Mario games. Each world has a boss in the middle of the world and a Titan boss at the end, just like the Mario games that had the castles in the middle of the world and the big castle at the end. In Funk of Titans, the boss battle in the middle of the world happens in a boxing ring. The battle consists of a pretty easy quick-finger mini-game. Once the battle starts, random buttons will appear on the screen and you have to press that button faster than the computer does. The Titan boss levels are dance-offs. When you enter the battle, the computer will do a dance and receive a score. After that, it is your turn. Buttons will randomly appear on the screen and once again you must press them before it's too late. The Titan boss levels are a little harder than the middle, but I found both to be very easy. I had no problem getting perfect scores on either of the mini-game boss battles.

Most of the levels are pretty short. You can pass most levels in 1-2 minutes. I was able to complete the game in around 4 hours, but am going back through to perfect each level. You can get up to 3 "awards" after each level. One for completing the level without taking any damage, one for collecting at least 100 vinyls in the level and another for finding the Pegasus. If you don't complete all 3, it will turn green and let you move on the the next level, but if you do the level will turn yellow. Trying to "perfect" each level will keep you coming back for more.

If you enjoy side-scrolling platformers and are looking for something different, try out Funk of Titans. It can get a little repetitive at times, but the variety between levels is enough to keep it interesting. It is definitely worth the $12.49 on the Xbox Live Store.

I give the game 3.5/5

Funk of Titans (Xbox One) Review