Shaq-Fu. One of the absolute worst games of all time. If there’s a game that never needed a sequel, this game would be mr. O’Neal’s disastrous attempt at starring in a video game. Then again, this world isn’t exactly the most rational world out there: not only did Shaq-Fu end up getting a sequel, but it was actually a crowdfunded one. Worst of all: this sequel is actually… quite fun…

I can’t believe I just said that…

The original Shaq-Fu was a terrible competitive fighting game that tried to take itself seriously. Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn chooses to take a completely different route. This time around, the game is a beat-em-up that definitely does NOT take itself seriously. The combat itself is very simplistic: you use very few buttons, and there aren’t that many combos. The button placement, at least in the Switch version, is quite odd, but nothing you can’t get used to. The game also features some ugly and dated visuals. Yes, fighting hordes and hordes of foes with these ugly graphics gets a bit tiresome after a while, but the game does feature one redeeming factor that motivated me to keep on playing the damn thing until the very end: its humor.

Yes, Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is dumb. Its humor is self aware but borderline offensive at times. It should be cringeworthy, but I was laughing like a hyena throughout most of the game. The game knows how infamous its predecessor is, it knows how disastrous Shaq’s careers as rapper and actor were, it knows the public’s current perception towards crowdfunding, it knows how little we care about mainstream celebrities, and uses all of those aspects as ammo for its joke machine gun. The voice acting is also pretty good, with Shaq himself being worthy of a lot of praise. He does one heck of a good job, something I would have never expected from him. The game shines whenever there’s an animated cutscene, as it features both the aforementioned great voice acting as well as pretty decent “Satuday morning cartoon” visuals.

I’m legit surprised with the fact that Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn turned out to be an okay game. It’s not very complex and it is a bit short, but this is actually a very funny and self-aware game that managed to surpass all of my expectations. After dozens of crowdfunded fiascos in recent memory, who would have thought that the sequel to one of the worst games ever made would actually be one of its best results?

 

Graphics: 5.0 Shaq-Fu looks like a mobile game at best, with below average character models and a poor resolution. Its animated cutscenes are great, though.	Gameplay: 7.5 While the combat system isn’t very engaging and the button placement is a bit confusing, I can’t deny the controls are responsive and easy to learn.
Sound: 9.0 The voice acting is very funny, and even Shaq himself manages to deliver a very respectable performance. The soundtrack is mostly comprised of parodic versions of popular songs. They’re terrible and I love them.	Fun Factor: 7.0 The combat is average and the game isn’t exactly very long, but its excellent sense of humor more than make up for it.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Reviewed on Switch.
Also available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC