Clover studios have a track record of creating some of the most offbeat, yet successful, games available. Games like Viewtiful Joe and the recent hit Okami, have given the studio a name synonymous with out-of-the-ordinary game styles that work. Now, Clover Studios have teamed up with publishing powerhouse Capcom to bring their latest quirky title to the masses. God Hand, directed by Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil 4 fame and produced by Atsushi Inaba of Phoenix Wright, follows the story of a mysterious fellow named Gene who, after trying to be the hero and rescuing a girl, gets his arm lobbed off in a street fight. The rest of the game follows Gene as he and his new arm – the God Hand – make their way throughout the land to find out more about his gift and those that are trying to take it back from him. As he and his traveling companion Olivia search for answers, they face gangs upon gangs of enemies that seemingly crawl out of every nook and cranny and are ready to remove that arm once again.

Once you start your journey through the game, you will face the hirelings of the Four Deva’s. This group of four demons - the cigar smoking Elvis, the Devil Hand opposite of Gene named Azel, the sultry and sexy Shannon and their leader Belze - all have their own agendas and all want to see you back to being a one handed wonder. The four Deva’s are on a mission to resurrect an ancient demon king named Angra and need the two god hands that previously defeated it to make sure that it won’t happen again. God Hand is definitely not a walk in the park by any means and at times can be quite difficult, even on the easiest setting. There is no manual camera control and the movement controls can consistently be a pain in the patoo, but are especially so during boxed in fights where you have less room to roam about. If you want to move sideways, you have to turn and then go forward or dodge sideways numerous times. When fighting, you have no block moves and will need to dodge all incoming attacks, which is something you had better get used to quickly or you won’t last too long. There are plenty of objects scattered about every level to help you out when things get rough however. Crates, barrels and just about everything else that can be picked up and tossed or destroyed will sometimes contain fruit for health, money bags or cards for roulette attacks.

You will find yourself wondering more then a few times just where you really are since when the games starts, you are in an old western town of sorts, but eventually move onto more technological, and distinctive areas that are just as diverse as the enemies found in them. Each area is linear as they come and there is only one path through each, although there are buildings where you are able to break down the doors and explore inside for extra goodies. One of the games most glaring glitches appear when you are running through towns and are close to buildings. Amazingly enough walls disappear for a second or two if you are next to them and show you what is inside the building which can be some what distracting if not flat out annoying. Aside from that, the graphics seen in God Hand are not the most fantastic to be found, as many of the areas are devoid of any real details, but they are not horrendous by any stretch of the imagination. The voice work for each character is done very well and the dialogue is just as hilarious as many of the cut scene animations. God Hand does feature some of the most off beat and comical gameplay seen in a long time and will have you cracking up time and time again.

As you lead Gene through each of the eight stages of the game, you will never be bored for lack of enemies that come in all shapes and sizes. The enemies are a large part of the game and although they can repeat quite often, there isn’t any less satisfaction beating the tar out of them each time. There is the occasional demon form that pops up from an enemy you have defeated and these toughies can get a little frustrating given the difficulty of them, but thankfully they don’t appear all that often. You have plenty of attacks at your disposal to kick some serious ass and this is what makes up the majority of gameplay found in God Hand. You have your regular punches and kicks that are called techniques. These regular attacks can be chained together, starting with four attacks and can later be increased as the game goes on. These moves can be customized in which order you want to use them and make a huge difference when it is done correctly. Having three moves that pound an enemy and then a fourth that juggles and a fifth that launches the enemy halfway across the area can make a staggering difference as opposed to having four or five attacks that simply lay a beating on them with underwhelming attacks. You can find new techniques through out the game in treasure chests and after defeating certain enemies, as well they can be purchased in the store with gold that you pick up from enemies and destroyed objects. You can also pick up countless weapons that are found through out different areas such as umbrellas, iron bars and pipes to use for some serious damage dealing.

Every enemy also has a special move that you can perform on them when they are dazed and confused. These range from stake drivers to pummels to a hefty spanking for the ladies found in the game. Aside from the regular attack techniques, there are other, more devastating attacks that can be found in the Roulette Wheel. The roulette wheel contains attacks that slow time down and allow you to select a certain move from the list you have collected so far. Each of these attacks can only be used if you have the corresponding number of roulette orbs in your possession. Some attacks take one orb, where some will take two or three to pull off. The higher number of orbs it takes to perform the move, the quicker you will have to select it and the more devastating the damage it will dish out. Aside from all your fancy moves and techniques, you also have the God Hand at your side constantly. You have a tension meter beneath your health meter and the more you beat on enemies, the more your tension meter will fill up. Once it is full, you can unleash the God Hand and go to town on opponents with increased strength, speed and invulnerability to attacks. It doesn’t take too long to fill and you will find yourself using it quite often and saving it for the right opportunity.

At first glance God Hand seems very repetitive with wave after wave of enemies running at you, and granted it can be when you have troubles getting through an area over and over. As the game gets more in depth however, there are plenty of things to keep your attention and keep you pushing through the rest of the game. There is also a built in casino where Gene can go to place some bets on games of Black Jack, Poker and slot machines when you feel you need a break from the cans of whoops ass you’ve been handing out. God Hand is definitely a unique game and the third-person style brawler that it is, brings a refreshing and distinctive style to gaming. Throw in the hilarity that is a constant throughout the entire game and God Hand is a game that will keep you entertained for a long while.