Watchmen: The End is Nigh looks great, but the co-op elements are poorly thought-out, and the simplistic action gets old well before this brief, bloody brawler is over.
In "Watchmen: The End is Nigh," play as Rorschach or Nite Owl and fight your way through six chapters of intense action, using each character's unique abilities to defeat up to 20 enemies at a time in brutal, street-fighting style. The city is overrun with crime and it's up to you, as a masked vigilante, to restore order.
The game features enjoyable combat mechanics with satisfying finishing moves, especially for Rorschach.
The graphics and comic-style cutscenes are visually appealing and capture the essence of the Watchmen universe.
The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the Watchmen franchise, providing a fun, albeit short, beat 'em up adventure.
The gameplay is repetitive, with limited enemy variety and a lack of depth in combat mechanics.
The story feels incomplete and lacks significant development, leaving players wanting more.
Technical issues, such as poor AI and camera control, detract from the overall experience.
story
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The story of "Watchmen: The End is Nigh" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its fresh prequel angle and engaging character dialogue, while others criticize it for being shallow, repetitive, and lacking depth. Although it fits within the Watchmen universe and features comic-style cutscenes, many reviewers found the narrative to be underdeveloped and the gameplay overly simplistic, leading to a generally lukewarm reception regarding its storytelling. Overall, while the game offers some interesting moments for fans of the franchise, its short and linear plot leaves much to be desired.
“Usually a movie tie-in game will just simply follow the plot of the movie, but this game is a prequel and takes place before the events of the movie, so the plot is fresh and new.”
“The story, while not particularly original, is engaging enough to keep you invested in the characters and their struggles.”
“The story fits in pretty well with the Watchmen universe, as does the look and cutscenes.”
“The demo gave me high hopes for at least a pleasing story, but it falls flat in many aspects.”
“The story is a joke.”
“Watchmen: the end is nigh is an extremely linear, shallow beat-em up with a horrible story.”
graphics
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
34%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally considered decent for its 2009 release, with many reviewers noting that they still hold up well today, particularly in terms of lighting, colors, and textures. While some players find the visuals to be outdated and lacking in modern graphical options, others appreciate the comic book art style and the effort put into the aesthetics, especially in cutscenes. Overall, the graphics are seen as a strong point of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience despite some criticisms of repetitiveness and dated elements.
“The graphics are actually rather pretty for a 2009 game and feel like I'm in the comic universe.”
“The visuals are done well and you can tell that effort was put into them.”
“Great gameplay and graphics for the price.”
“The poor graphics and the limited gameplay probably mean in 2024 even at a discount price you should expect better, but Watchmen superfans and those that like (very) old school fighting games might find something to enjoy.”
“The game's graphics and sound design are a bit dated, even for a 2009 release.”
“The whole thing is just bloody awful, the graphics are ugly, the levels are boring and repetitive, you fight pretty much the same guy cloned a thousand times, because all enemies look the same.”
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
58%
20%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and repetitive, with a basic beat 'em up style that can become monotonous over time. While some players appreciate the decent fighting mechanics and graphics reminiscent of the Arkham series, others criticize the limited moves and cumbersome controls. Overall, it offers a charming yet outdated experience that may appeal to fans of old-school fighting games, but lacks depth and variety compared to modern titles.
“Fun beat 'em up game, simple and straightforward gameplay, graphics are similar to Batman: Arkham and look very good.”
“The fighting mechanics are satisfying, with a nice balance of button-mashing and strategy.”
“Great gameplay and graphics for the price.”
“The gameplay is very basic.”
“The gameplay is more of arcade action than a 3rd person shooter.”
“Repetitive scenarios, boring gameplay, and okay graphics.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with numerous users reporting various glitches and bugs that can be frustrating, though most agree they are not game-breaking. While some players found the experience solid despite the issues, others described it as a "buggy mess" with significant problems affecting gameplay, such as AI issues and animation glitches. Overall, the game has a range of stability concerns that may detract from the experience for some players.
“A buggy mess of a game, but I completed it, so it wasn't completely awful. However, some of the bugs got extremely frustrating.”
“Worst game I've played in a while - very buggy too!”
“Also, the game is filled with glitches: you will definitely see characters passing through walls and objects during combos and final animations, bad guys stuck in shipping containers, and horrible AI leaves many idle NPCs.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its absurd scenarios, such as throwing enemies off buildings and amusing interactions between AI characters during cutscenes. Players find the boss fights particularly entertaining, especially when using henchmen as projectiles, and the co-op mode enhances the comedic experience. Overall, while the humor is consistent and enjoyable, it doesn't rely on bugs or glitches for laughs.
“There's only 1 boss which, admittedly, became somewhat fun when I had to throw his henchmen at him while he was balancing on a crane; that was funny.”
“10/10 worth it for the boss fight at the end where you throw henchmen off a building at the final boss... hilarious.”
“But it's still a bit funny, even more when playing on co-op.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a dark, gritty, and intense noir setting, filled with crime and terror, which enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the beautiful locations and the sense of loneliness and depravity, making combat feel impactful and engaging. The incorporation of the Watchmen license further enriches the atmosphere, keeping the gameplay interesting despite its simplicity.
“Taking down thugs as Rorschach or Nite Owl is a blast, and the game's dark, gritty atmosphere really adds to the overall experience.”
“Beautiful locations and a noir atmosphere create a strong feeling of loneliness and depravity.”
“The atmosphere is intense, with crime and terror running rampant in the streets, and brutal gangs lurking in alleys, rooftops, and sewers.”
“A simplistic beat 'em up saved from being completely boring by its noir atmosphere, nice graphics, and a relatively satisfying (although very forgiving) combo system.”
“It really feels like you're smashing your fist into someone's face, and the added atmosphere provided by the Watchmen license only helps keep things interesting across the game's relatively short length.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the lack of engaging boss fights and the monotony of battling the same enemies multiple times across large levels. While some appreciate the fighting mechanics, the overall experience is marred by uninspired gameplay and technical issues, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
“The last boss was kind of tedious.”
“Interesting concept for a Watchmen game, but the fights are very tedious and the story is very short.”
“Jerky camera movements, the screen kept getting locked upward using the Logitech controller, giant levels with grinding fights, each level has three different enemies that you will fight about 50-60 times, with no boss fights until the last boss.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it entertaining for a short duration, many feel it lacks significant replay value due to limited content and characters. A few users note that certain elements can encourage a second playthrough, but the consensus leans towards minimal incentive to replay.
“This divergence, for those curious enough, does promote replayability.”
“No replayability really.”
“The game has a bit of replayability if you want to play it again after the first time.”
“Need more playable characters.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding the soundtrack lacking while others appreciate the sound effects and voice acting. Overall, the music is described as average, with some positive notes on the graphics accompanying it.
“The sound, music, and voice acting are impressive.”
“The music and sound effects are quite good.”
“The graphics are nice, and the music complements the experience well.”
“The soundtrack is bad.”
“The music and sound effects are alright, by the way.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, particularly for splitting the content into two parts, which detracts from the overall experience and fails to meet the expectations of fans seeking a comprehensive "Arkham Knight" experience.
“As a game, this is an obvious cash grab, and I can't recommend it to someone looking for an 'Arkham Knight' experience.”
“To chop it up and sell it in two parts, these games scream nothing if not cash grab.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is hindered by performance issues and a lack of language customization options, forcing players to change their entire PC language to play, which can be inconvenient for non-English speakers. There are currently no available workarounds for this problem.
“The game has significant performance issues, and it follows the language settings of your PC without offering any option to change it. If English isn't your first language, you'll have to change your entire PC's language just to play this game, and there are no workarounds available online.”
“Optimization is severely lacking; the game struggles to run smoothly even on high-end hardware, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.”
“The lack of optimization is evident, as the game frequently drops frames and stutters, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Character development is primarily conveyed through cutscenes, while in-game dialogue focuses on enhancing character arcs and occasionally expanding the world-building.
“The dialogue during gameplay really emphasizes character development, making the story feel more immersive.”
“The character arcs are well-crafted, allowing players to see significant growth and change throughout the game.”
“I love how the game intertwines character development with the main storyline, making every decision feel impactful.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“There are moments where the story shines, but the gameplay dialogue often undermines character development.”
“The characters seem one-dimensional, and their growth throughout the game is minimal and unconvincing.”