Funk of Titans Review

Absolutely nothing makes sense in Funk of Titans, and that’s ok. While modern Greece is crippled by economic and societal complications, Ancient Greece is a calmer, more vibrant and funkier setting.

In Funk of Titans, you assume the role of Perseus, the living embodiment of a 1970’s funk stereotype, in your quest to rid Ancient Greece of all other genres of music except funk.
A side-scrolling endless runner, Funk of Titans sees you jump and fight your way through levels, avoiding warriors, fatal drops and fiery platforms in your journey to the jukebox that awaits you at the end. Levels are fairly short, about a minute or two each, and require you to simply reach the end without dying.

As the son of Zeus, Perseus ranks among the bravest and most powerful people in Greek mythology; beheading Medusa and fending off a myriad of Titans rank among his most famous accomplishments. In Funk of Titans, not so. Perseus can take just two hits from enemies before dying, but a disappointingly easy difficulty curve robs Funk of Titans of much challenge. With that having been said, completing a level is the game’s minimum requirement.

There are three main worlds (Pop, Rap and Funk) that are broken up into different levels, with a QTE mini-boss at the halfway stage, and a Titan at the end. The levels themselves posit three mini challenges: finish the level intact, collect all the gold discs and find the Pegasus. It is in these challenges that Funk of Titans totes some replayability. The game itself is fairly short, taking just a couple of hours to complete, but finishing the game to 100% completion would require a lengthier investment.

A progression system allows for new weapons to be unlocked, which in turn allow access to certain hidden areas in some levels, and Steam Achievements are plentiful, for those who are into that sort of thing. Collecting the Pegasus also unlocks a mini-game at the end of the level, where you must ride the horse for as long as possible, collecting gold discs, which act as the game’s currency, along the way. That currency can be used to buy items; anything from a Transformers helmet to a lightsaber, which add some originality to Perseus.

The battle with the three Titans…well they’re not battles at all, really. Each world ends with a dance-off with a Titan, where you must assert funk as the most dominant of all music genres. Like the mini-boss, these come in the form of quick time events which, sadly, present minimal challenge (I got maximum points in every single section of every single dance-off), but provide a mildly humorous encounter if nothing else.

It isn’t very long, and it isn’t very difficult, but I enjoyed my time with Funk of Titans. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself very seriously at all; it has no problem in subverting the traditional expectations of Zeus, Hercules and Ancient Greek mythology in general. I mean, where else can you wear a Stormtrooper helmet and don a flaming sword? Hitting enemies is met with a 1960’s Batman-esque ‘wham’ and ‘bash’, and the funky music and bright colours generate a nice atmosphere. While entirely nonsensical, it all adds to the fun and laidback approach the developers were clearly trying to achieve.