A few weeks ago FTE Games released Bad Dudes as part of the Johnny Turbo’s Arcade line. The game was good, if a little bland, and a decent experience was to be had. Now FTE Games has released the spiritual sequel Two Crude, as part of the line up. Two Crude is an interesting one to talk about, as while it has several things in common with Bad Dudes, it is a very different beast as well.
From the very start of the game, one thing is very clear and that is that Two Crude is a very colorful game. Visually Two Crude is a feast or the eyes and is much more involving and welcome than Two Crude, What is also noticeable is that the game is more involved. There are more movement options and more ways to attack the enemies. You can pick up more objects to throw or wield them, and you can even pick up and throw enemies like a weapon. The downside however, is that the enemies have more ways to attack as well. These enemy attacks can take a lot out of your character and some require moving the analogue stick back and forth in other to escape.
Two Crude feels like a more complete version of Bad Dudes. Bad Dudes was a decent beat em up but liked variety and character, a flaw that Two Crude has corrected. The Dudes were fairly generic, but the Crudes have an actual personality and their dialogue reflects that. This just feels like the game that Bad Dudes had the potential to be but wasn’t.
Two Crude is a fun beat em up and full of personality. It is a game with its own identity and surpasses its spiritual predecessor, even if it has some of the same faults such as bland sound effects and artificial difficulty. It is a worthy follow-up and one that should be played far more.