Pre-E3 06: Zatch Bell: Mamodo Fury
Multi: No, those are not children pounding each other to death
When it comes to anime video games, you've really got to suspend your disbelief. It's common to see giant robots, overgrown lizards or talking suits of armor, but Zatch Bell: Mamodo Fury may have the weirdest excuse to pit four players against each other: wee-sized demon kids that need you to boss them around.
Every 100 years, these mamodo come to Earth to duke it out by slinging elaborate, destructive spells across the quiet countryside. Thing is, they require a human to handle their spell book and give them commands. That, of course, is your job.
Despite this outrageous setup, Mamodo Fury plays like a straight-up arena brawler. You run around the requisite abandoned warehouses and open fields, tossing magic and dodging counterattacks like you would in, say, Power Stone. Controlling two characters at a time, however, is an interesting twist.
Normally, you're the human host ... person ... thing, and the longer you hold down the attack button, the more powerful the spell will be. But if you don't want to risk getting zapped, break off as the little mamodo and run in with magic flying. In this case, you're directly handling your tiny counterpart instead of yelling commands at it.
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A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.