Unruly Heroes

Damn, this game is lot of fun, very recommended! Especially if you are a fan of Journey to the West!

"Seekor kera, terpuruk terpenjara dalam gua~"

Reference for anyone who get it

Its not bad but nothing amazing. The game has amazing visual style similar to Rayman legends. Theres also a lot of bosses and levels, as well as some interesting puzzles. The four heroes play differently and you can play with all of them.

But theres also a lot of issues. The platforming is floaty and imprecise. The hitboxes are janky. You will jump through platforms, not grab ledges or handholds, you will sometimes not jump off walls for no reason. The game has bugs, got softlocked a few times, and theres no restart from checkpoint option from main menu, you have to just commit suicide. The final boss is horribly designed with multiple phases, one of which has instant death pits, and a short 1 second window to grab a buggy handhold to damage him. Sometimes aiming with objects janks out, and same with trying to hit falling objects at someone. You don't unlock new weapons or abilities or anything, so combat is repetitive. Also some guys you can stagger but other times they just interrupt being damaged to stun attack you so its not consistent.

The game does have an issue with style over substance, as the platforming and combat leave something to be desired, but the game does have good variety and has great visual style. Could be better but could be worse. 7/10.

I LOVE the Journey to the West story so ofc I bought it. This game is just pure art in the smooth animation, style, level design, boss fights, and music! My most fav thing is how in the level section each level plays a note of a song! It just makes me wanna beat the game so I can hear the whole song! Also during the loading screen there are musicians that you can control to play a song while you wait! Genius!

Honestly, this game is the best. I fell in love with "Journey to the West" (Sun Wu Kong), and this game is how I imagined his journey would be. Sort of.
I just love everything about it, from the art style to the music to the characters... I just love everything about it.
I also don't know why people are complaining about crashes. It runs perfectly for me. Besides, why wasn't this on the front page? A lot of people underestimate this game, and they need to see how good it is.

Unruly Heroes is an imaginative action-platforming adventure that takes inspiration from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and reshapes it into a colorful mixture of martial-arts combat, exploration, puzzles, and cooperative play. Developed and published by Magic Design Studios, it immediately establishes a playful interpretation of the source material rather than attempting a particularly serious adaptation. The Sacred Scroll responsible for maintaining harmony has been torn apart, allowing strange creatures and chaos to spread throughout the world. Four unlikely heroes must consequently travel through fantastical lands in search of its scattered fragments.
The adventure revolves around Wukong the Monkey King, Sanzang the Sleepy Monk, Kihong the Greedy Pig, and Sandmonk the Sensitive Brute. Their contrasting designs and personalities give the group plenty of character, but their differences also have practical importance. Each hero possesses distinctive capabilities, and solo players can seamlessly switch between them depending on the situation. This makes controlling the entire group more interesting than simply choosing one character at the beginning and using that hero throughout the campaign. Different abilities become useful during combat, platforming, and environmental challenges, encouraging players to become familiar with the complete roster.
Combat provides considerably more substance than might initially be expected from the game's approachable presentation. The heroes collectively have access to more than twenty attacks and combinations, allowing encounters to involve more than repeatedly pressing a basic attack button. Enemies can be struck with combinations while movement and positioning become increasingly important as encounters grow busier. The system is accessible enough that newcomers can quickly understand it without making experienced action players feel completely restricted. It never becomes as technically demanding as a dedicated fighting game, but that is appropriate for an adventure constantly shifting between combat and platforming.
One of the more creative mechanics is the ability to possess enemies and temporarily use their particular strengths. Instead of treating every creature exclusively as an obstacle, certain opponents effectively become tools that can change how a situation is approached. Combined with character switching, this mechanic prevents the action from becoming excessively predictable. Boss encounters and increasingly unusual creatures further contribute to the sense that the journey is continuously introducing something different.
Platforming is equally important. The heroes travel through numerous fantasy environments filled with hazards, moving obstacles, environmental puzzles, enemies, and unexpected gameplay mechanics. Levels frequently alternate between precision movement and fighting rather than committing entirely to either discipline. This produces a brisk pace and keeps the campaign from feeling like an endless chain of combat arenas. Some challenges are more memorable for their presentation and mechanical creativity than their difficulty, so players seeking exceptionally demanding platforming may find portions relatively forgiving. Nevertheless, the variety makes progressing through each environment consistently enjoyable.
The visual presentation is arguably the game's greatest accomplishment. Environments have a beautifully illustrated quality, supported by expressive animation and striking fantasy imagery. Characters move with exaggerated personality, helping distinguish the four heroes even when several are occupying the screen simultaneously. The backgrounds also provide far more than simple scenery, creating an elaborate sense of scale and reinforcing the mythological nature of the journey. Its character animation was recognized with an Annie Award, and the attention given to movement is apparent throughout normal traversal, attacks, enemy behavior, and cinematic moments.
Cooperative play considerably changes the atmosphere. Up to four players can participate locally, allowing each person to control one of the heroes. Solo play offers greater control over character switching, whereas multiplayer replaces that deliberate approach with coordination and occasional chaos. Both approaches work because the underlying level structure accommodates different abilities and player counts. Steam Remote Play Together also complements the local cooperative functionality. Competitive players receive additional local and online PvP modes, although these feel more like entertaining additions to the central adventure than its primary attraction.
There are some limitations beneath the impressive presentation. Combat offers plenty of moves but does not develop the extreme mechanical depth associated with specialized beat 'em ups. Certain puzzles are relatively straightforward, while multiplayer can occasionally become visually hectic when several characters, enemies, attacks, and environmental effects overlap. The platforming is generally responsive but does not always possess the exacting precision found in games devoted exclusively to that genre. These shortcomings are noticeable, yet none significantly damages the overall experience because the game relies more heavily on variety than mastery of a single mechanic.
Additional touches such as photo mode fit particularly well considering the quality of the environments and animation. Collectibles and achievements provide incentives for players interested in thoroughly exploring stages, while the combination of character switching, cooperative possibilities, PvP, enemy possession, and varied environmental mechanics gives the package more personality than a conventional side-scrolling adventure.
Steam Deck compatibility is another positive aspect. The game is Steam Deck Verified, making it particularly suitable for portable play. Its controller-oriented action and side-scrolling structure translate naturally to the handheld format, while the colorful artwork remains attractive on the smaller display. The ability to play a level or continue the adventure without being tied to a desktop also complements the relatively immediate nature of its platforming and combat.
Overall, this is a polished and visually distinctive adventure whose greatest strength is its ability to keep changing what the player is doing. Martial-arts battles transition into platforming challenges, environmental puzzles, unusual mechanics, boss encounters, and opportunities to exploit different character abilities. The individual systems may not reach extraordinary levels of complexity, but together they create an entertaining and memorable journey. Strong animation, imaginative environments, four genuinely distinct heroes, enjoyable cooperative functionality, and consistently varied level design make it particularly worthwhile for players who appreciate action-platformers that prioritize creativity and presentation alongside accessible combat.
Rating: 8/10

great couch coop game