There’s one thing I’m looking forward to these days: A return to couch co-op parties.

It may not be anytime soon that we’re allowed to get the buddies, and the brews again and play some fighters again, but when we can, you bet that I’m going to be playing Fly Punch Boom with the crew.

Fly Punch Boom comes to us from Jollypunch Games, a one-person studio that just really wants friends to enjoy virtually punching each other — and in case you haven’t guessed it, that’s exactly what this game does well.

Fly Punch Boom is very clearly a colourful love letter to those scenes in animes like Dragon Ball, Fist of the North Star, and JoJo’s Bizare Adventure, where the characters meet to beat each other to a pulp and destroy some buildings. It’s fast-paced, technically-challenging, absurdly dumb and, most of all, hilarious.

Who Needs A Story?

There’s a “Lore” page found on the in-game menu, and that’s all there is here in terms of story. You pick one of ten Punchies to play as. Punchies are sill little characters who like to put their powers to the test by fighting each other in a sort of pseudo-sexual battle of the fists that is said to have enough power to create stars and galaxies. I call this a  pseudo-sexual battle because the “Lore” page is weirdly specific about Punchies being sexless beings that reproduce through combat. The more you fight, the more your Punchies will produce new and unique Punchies that take on combined looks of other fighters.

The story is only there in case you are interested as to what the hell is going on, and it has very little impact on overall gameplay other than to give you new playable characters with their own special moves.

Punch Perfect

Fly Punch Boom is the perfect definition of an indie couch co-op extravaganza. It’s one of those games like Starwhal, where you’re not likely to develop any professional skills that will lead to LAN appearances and boatloads of prize money because this game is essentially Rock Paper Scissors on speed. However, if you’re good at quick time events and acting faster than a speeding bullet, there’s a chance you’ll be the best of your crew at this game.

I would like to see un update add the ability to turn off the quick time events because I’m not exactly the fastest or most precise player in the world. And while it’s all fun and good to suck hilariously at this game when playing it with a group of friends, I’d like to have the option to suck less when playing against a computer.

But being the very best there ever was doesn’t feel like that’s the point of Fly Punch Boom. This game is 100% meant to be a game that becomes the best competition of friends who have probably had a couple of beers and are just looking for some laughs.

But if you are looking to be the best, here’s how things work. You pilot your Punchie around a roped-in map full of ricochet hazards, and when you get close to another Punchie, you clash. There are three options for an attack: hit, throw and counter. Hit beats throw, throw beats counter and counter beats hit. But that’s far from all there is to this loveable punchout. After a hit has been landed, there’s a chance for the aggressor to button-mash more damage onto the attack. While the recipient of a beating can follow an input sequence to save themselves from damage. It’s a potent punch of luck and timing that will keep you focused. But Fly Punch Boom is sure to keep you and your friends laughing for hours!

Punching Out Quickl

The main problem I have with Fly Punch Boom is its overall draw and replayability. There’s no story mode, which is instead swapped for an arcade mode and one or two-player battle modes. There’s also an online battle mode, but I found the wait to find a match wasn’t worth playing it for more than a few battles.

There’s very little to make this game more than something you bust out at a party or take with you on the go, as its quick matches mean that you can it’s perfect for keeping the party going or passing time on a commute.

Verdict

What you have here is the perfect party brawler. If you’re looking for a game to play with your buddies when parties resume, look no further. Fly Punch Boom is something you can play for a half-hour with your friends and the most exciting thing is getting friends together to put your fist to face in an outlandish way.

Fly Punch Boom is now available — and even 15% off — on Steam and Nintendo Switch.