A side-scrolling beat-em-up game for mobile devices

Zahak is a free download for mobile devices. It is a side-scrolling beat-em-up game in which the player controls a character in a horizontally-moving environment. They must face a series of enemies as they fight their way through the levels. The story of the game sees the player fighting against the Islamic Republic.

For examples of what type of game Zahak is, one can look to games like Streets of Rage 4 or Double Dragon Neon. The graphics are reminiscent of retro games from the 16- and 32-bit era of gaming.

Fight through several levels

Zahak sees the player take on a number of distinct levels, each with a selection of enemies to fight through. The ultimate aim is to reach the eponymous Zahak, an evil king with snakes growing on his shoulders. The game is relatively short, though there is enough content to make it worth downloading, especially since it’s free.

Setting and developer intent

The story of Zahak is based on a story from Shahname: The Persian Book of Kings. Despite the inspiration for the game being hundreds of years old, the developer states that the game makes a political statement regarding free speech and opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Users sensitive to these issues may wish to avoid this game.

A basic beat-em-up

As a beat-em-up game, Zahak does not do anything revolutionary, though it is still a complete fighting game with detailed graphics, albeit somewhat dated-looking. The subject matter of the game may be seen as controversial by some. The game features several distinct levels to play through, but the combat itself can start to feel somewhat repetitive after some playing time.