You only have to watch Akuto: Showdown for a few minutes to know that it’s going to be insanely fun. From Hut 90, this is an arena brawler set in a zoomed-out isometric space, where you pick up ridiculously over-powered weapons and wail on your enemies. It’s a multiplayer, frantic, ridiculous experience and it looks darn tootin’. Akuto: Showdown is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Where to start? The arenas of Akuto: Showdown are probably the first things that grab you. These are exquisite little dioramas that could have been the backdrop for an adventure game. There’s so much detail and authenticity to the environments, but instead of lingering to admire the scenery, you are lobbing grenades at it.
That’s the second thing you’ll probably notice from the trailers: the sheer violence and carnage. While you may be playing as Fall Guys/Among Us-style colourful characters, it doesn’t stop Akuto: Showdown from slicing you up into a bloody pulp (on gore mode) or collapsing you into voxels (the more family-friendly mode). With the sheer range of weapons on offer to you, you can find a bevy of Mortal Kombat-ish ways to die.
What we perhaps love most is the very simple but effective design decision of letting the bodies hit the floor. Any dead character is left to litter the arena, creating a charnel mound of corpses. You can choose to explode those bodies further, or they become very effective warnings of where the choke points are in the map.
Finally, the environment itself is a participant in the mayhem. Trains chug through the towns, cars twist through the streets, and farm animals stampede at you. There’s every chance that the mate next to you won’t kill you: an NPC in a Mini Cooper will.
Features include:
- EASY TO PICK UP, HARD TO MASTER – Akuto: Showdown has intuitive gameplay, meaning anyone can pick up controller and play and enjoy the game
- BECOME THE BEST – Fight against your friends in local multiplayer, or play against the bots in one of the many versus modes
- ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE – Enjoy the intensity and fun of classic couch party games, only with more violence
- COLLECT ‘EM ALL – Unlockable weapons and HATS!
This seems reasonably fully featured, with local co-op and bots available, as well as a Gallery mode so that you can share the best moments with your friends. There’s no online multiplayer though, which is a big miss. Honestly, we’re liking the look of this one a lot, even if it is hard to find couch partners in these trying times.Check out our review for the verdict .
Akuto: Showdown is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £7.99 from the Xbox Store. It’s also out on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
Game Description:
Akuto: Showdown is an isometric, fast-paced action game where players fight with different weapons in intense battles. The game is set on various stages where players have to not only watch out for opponents, but also for the environment from killing them. Cars on the streets, trains and gunslingers – all waiting for your one careless step. The arenas are set in many different themes like Wild West or medieval Japan. There are 10 unlockable melee weapons – from standard swords to shovels and…legs. The same applies to guns, 15 kinds of firearms are at your disposal: pistol, shotgun or even a magic wand. To make your character unique you can customize your fighter with one of many funny hats. So what are you waiting for? Gather up, draw your sword – showdown is on!
