Hello and welcome to this edition of the Halcyon Show, my name is Lorne Risling and today let's review a game that's bound to be just what an audience hungry for relevant and contemporary content is after. Are you a fan of Mike Tyson's Punch Out and every derivative clone that came out thereafter? Are you a fan of the political heavyweights of the presidential race leading up to 2021? Well then you'll kinda, sorta, maybe like Election Year Knockout, a game that attempts to imbue politics with pugilism, humour with haymakers and a whole lot of punches with a whole lot of sound policy. There are three questions we need to answer here. Does it deliver on those promises? Is it funny? And is it fun? Released on the 2nd of July 2020 by Exception Null Games and available on Steam right now for £7.19, the game's synopsis reads, Become president in this hilarious punch-out-inspired political sim where all the laws have been replaced with boxing. Each opponent has unique tactics and special moves to test your skill and strategy on the way to the White House. Form your own third party and hip the campaign trail. Literally. The game operates on a 7 button combat system of 4 punches, a super attack, dodges and blocking as you make your way through the various candidates across the proud nation of America and indeed some bonus characters from Russia, Canada and North Korea. No prizes for guessing who they are. Now while those attacks might not sound like a lot, especially against opponents who have unblockable attacks, combinations that can rain down heavy damage and of course all manner of wacky abilities from ballistic missiles to god beams to zen-like combinations to birds, the combinations and attacks you launch combined with the careful timing of your attacks and defense will be enough to see you through any foe. Birdie Sanders with the power of Twitter, Chief Warren and her impeccable archery skills in a boxing match, to Mike Pius with his super saviour powers and of course the games main boss Donald Thump. Every single foe has patterns and weaknesses you can exploit as long as you pay attention, balance attack with defence to avoid winding yourself or suffering 3 knockdowns in a round and make sure to pay special attention to the sage like wisdom of your corner man John McCain McCain who to his credit will give you invaluable tips on how to gain the advantage in a fight if the first round proves too difficult. Now one of the things I like about this game is that every opponent feels beatable, given that there are no perks or progression in the game this is important because not only will you have to beat each foe, you'll have to beat them several times as they advance through more and more powerful forms. This might sound daunting, but the game plan remains the same. Choose your moments to attack based on the prompts each foe will give you as they are highlighted by turning red or yellow or entering certain motion sequences, and then rain down pain on them like the bureaucratic bruiser that you are. The combat itself feels responsive and fun, the super attack feels super satisfying and the ways to win a fight are varied enough to keep each matchup interesting. As you progress across the US of A you'll add new lines to your party's name as you attempt to wrench control of the White House from your foes. Each fight feels fast paced and interesting and while your skill level will be a factor, the game offers a nice progression of challenge and rewards in the form of new fights, new options for customisation and new jokes as the new segments lead you out of each fight. So is the game fun to play? Yes it is, but here we come to a part of the game that'll either make it or break it for you. Is it funny? The answer is, it depends on you. If you find the kind of political joshing that is rampant through this game tiresome, well then you're not going to want to play it more than once because the puns keep coming and they don't stop coming. But for me, even something as silly as calling a character Jab Bush, it tickles me. And I like how the game gently approaches that vein of humour without coming across as vindictive. The news anchors irreverent summaries were always a giggle and the reveal of each fighter and their new and improved form was always cause to raise a smile for me. But outright laugh? No, not really. So is the game funny? I mean, kinda? Maybe? A little? As far as the game's touted customisation, it's limited. You can change the style, gender and outfit of your character at any time, but not in any way I'd call extensive. The backgrounds, overall ambience and the immersion the game offers isn't great. In fact, I'd call it repetitive at times given the changes are so slight it's hard to tell the levels apart. The soundtrack as well is pretty forgettable, albeit the sound design is quirky and sharp. But I'll wager you'll be too busy dodging, punching and taking in your opponent's offence to notice any of this stuff. Once you beat each candidate and unlock the two bonus fighters, you'll need to beat them in sequence again to unlock their final forms. And there are also individual lists of challenges for each fighter to complete, such as avoiding damage, knocking out someone with a single punch or winning bouts via TKO. So the game's not short on things to do, albeit it might start to feel repetitive after a few goes around. I didn't encounter any bugs or glitches throughout my playthrough so the game seemed solid, but I would have liked to have seen more diversity in the backgrounds, maybe some interactivity with the map between fights to really sell the political element of the game, perhaps unlockable abilities for your character to continue to change up gameplay and of course I'd love to see an updated roster of characters to keep the game contemporary because right now I'd wager most of you don't have the faintest idea who half these fighters are supposed to be. Like I said, the soundtrack is forgettable and with no ability to play as a political character in the game yourself, there's no option for two player, which is a shame for a game with such limited scope of relevance. But slight criticisms aside, Election Year Knockout is a fun arcade fighting game. You might be tempted, especially now, to groan at the simplistic and somewhat cliché sound of the game's premise, but it's a solid, fun, deep and overall well produced arcade fighting game with a good cast of different characters each with their own strengths, weaknesses and progression. The game might feel tricky at times, but it never feels cheap. The game provides more than enough fun, giggles and challenge to be worth checking out, but not at that price point. So to answer our final question, does it deliver? Well, almost. If you're a fan of quirky arcade fighting games, wait for a sale and come out swinging then. Thank you very much for watching this edition of the Halcyon Show, please like, share and subscribe, stay tuned for more reviews and videos in the future and as always, take care of yourselves and I'll see you on the next episode. you