Godzilla Vs. Kong: Alliance Review

The Two Kings

When a blockbuster movie comes out, conventional wisdom says that there will be a movie tie-in game not far behind. With Godzilla Vs. Kong: Alliance, this seems to be exactly the case. There seems to be some respect toward the basic design of these iconic monsters. However, there’s not much for them to do. With that said, there is a good foundation here crafted by developer Xadetechnologies. It’s evident that this title was rushed out to capitalize on the movie’s success which may drive players away.

I found it rather strange that the only mode that Godzilla Vs. Kong: Alliance currently has is “Survival.” Usually when a game launches, there’s a campaign of some sort that’s later complemented with other modes. Well, in this case, the “Story Mode” will be “available at a later date.” Plus, there’s also an “Arcade Mode” that will be available soon. Ok, that’s fair enough. So how does “Survival Mode” hold up? Well, not too well I’m afraid.

Tipsy Titans

Naturally, when the game starts, players can choose between the two stars. Their stats are basically equal. However, Godzilla seems to be a tad nimbler and can jump higher than Kong. Consequently, I found myself playing as the King of the Monsters during most of my playthroughs. He seems to be more effective compared to Kong as he seems to be better designed. The gameplay mechanics are about as bare bones as they can get. Players can move their characters left or right, plus they can jump. That’s about it. It is unfortunate that there’s no way to crouch. This is especially annoying during boss fights when there are projectiles everywhere that are nearly impossible to dodge. Both of the monsters lumber across the screen, making combat feel as slow as molasses. A dash or dodge function is sorely needed in this title to help with mobility. Something that’s akin to Invincible Hero would suffice regarding the movement. The monsters come with a basic melee attack and a special attack that can sometimes be a chore to execute due to wonky animations.

Attacking enemies is clunky and there’s not much strategy with the fighting mechanics. Gameplay consists of spamming attacks and praying that the stamina meter doesn’t deplete mid-fight. Yes, there’s a stamina meter in Godzilla Vs. Kong: Alliance and it seems out of place. For a side-scrolling action-adventure title, a stamina bar isn’t the best feature to have. Luckily, after each encounter, players are gifted with a few perks that can help them out. Things like increasing the re-charge speed for special attacks, increased movement speed and higher attack damage are the norm. These do honestly help, especially when facing the boss after every five rounds.

Claw Over Fist

There’s literally no variety to the enemies. As of the game’s current state, the only enemy models are giant alien frog-like creatures and a hollow mech boss. That’s about it. At least, there are some different color palettes between the enemies to freshen things up a bit. The stages, on the other hand, look nice with varied detail, depth and a sense of place. The animations between all the characters are smooth and they do provide a level of charm to the title. On top of that, there seems to be thumping music that can complement the action. The sound effects can be a bit on the generic side, however. Also, I wish I would have heard Godzilla’s and Kong’s iconic roars, which are sadly nowhere to be found.

There are loot boxes that players can purchase with real-world cash for gold pieces. This in-game currency is used to upgrade Godzilla and King Kong which slightly upgrades their stats. There are no new moves, skins, or customizable items to unlock. There are advertisements, but they only show up after a death or for a bonus wheel spin. Therefore, I didn’t find them to be that much of a hindrance since I have sparsely seen them.

Even though Godzilla Vs. Kong: Alliance needed some more time in the oven, it has potential. Perhaps with a few updates, this title will offer players more content to chew on. According to the developer, there are plans for future updates. Perhaps, there will be more classic monsters to control to spice things up. As it currently stands, there’s not much for me to recommend that offers replayability.