There are countless games on the App Store that do their best to be funny. There are games that succeed at this, some that fail, and then there are games like Real Boxing, which has accidentally become a hilarious experience without even trying.
First, let's talk about the actual fighting. As the name implies, Real Boxing is a pugilism simulator, pitting you against either real-life or computer controlled opponents in one-on-one slugfests. The mechanics aren't quite as in-depth as most non-mobile fighting games, with only a handful of moves to pull off and very basic blocking and counter moves.
This would all be fantastic -- and in all honesty the game does play quite well -- if not for the game's ridiculous player models which don't appear to be modeled after any human that has ever actually existed. Your fighter's arms bend wildly in a manner that would surely lead a real boxer to cry out in agony, and it's hard to plan a block when your opponent's arms seem to be able to reach your jaw no matter how far away they are. It's like boxing against Stretch Armstrong, and it's more funny than it is frustrating.
Then there's the fighters' necks. I'm not sure what mad scientist combined giraffe DNA with that of world-class fighters, but the result is what you'll find in Real Boxing. I've never seen more awkward looking player models in a boxing game, and it makes it very hard to take the game seriously when the player models looks so absurd. I found myself laughing through the fights instead of caring who won, simply because the groans and grunts coming from the strange looking humanoids were too much for me to handle.
The game has seen dozens of updates since its release at the tail end of 2012 -- it's free right now for a limited time, in case you're interested -- but studying human anatomy doesn't appear high on the developer Vivid Games' priority list. If you want a laugh, you can pick the app up for no cost, but be wary of the glut of in-app purchases that permeate the experience.
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