The Behemoth's follow-up to Castle Crashers is vastly different, but hilariously good fun.
The first involves the single player. Going solo through the game, you'll encounter dangers and find a way to overcome enemies (mainly with a weapon of choice, along with punching, for your character) as you collect gems and proceed to the exit. The second is with the co-op mode, where you and a buddy team up over Xbox Live (or locally) and tackle challenges together, activating bridges and throwing each other across the room to reach otherwise unobtainable areas.
Battleblock's gameplay leaves a lot of room for interpretation, especially co-op. There are times you can help a buddy out, hoisting them over a ledge or throwing something to keep an enemy off their backs. But just as importantly, you can use them as a pawn, jumping on their heads while they drown to reach a ledge across the way, only for them to respawn right next to you upon reaching the checkpoint. Sinister? Sure, a bit, but it won't cost you a friendship, because you'll be laughing too damn hard at how great the gameplay is.
It's hardly perfect, as some enemies are a pain to beat with your limited physical skills (clearly you're not a fighter), and the screen zooms out way too much if the two of you are separated, making it hard to see what's going on. But Battleblock's chaos is controlled for the most part, and a lot of fun to play, especially if you have the right co-op partner. Solo play is very good, too, giving you the option to "free" prisoners (extra playable characters) and unlock additional skins. And there are challenges galore here, kept track of via a report card at the end of each stage.
The game's presentation is remarkable, just like Behemoth's previous efforts. The hand-drawn animation may be crude compared to most 3D efforts, but I enjoyed it, particularly the "panic" looks on some prisoner's faces and the creative level design. The additional power-ups that come into play are fantastic as well, brightening the place with creativity galore.
