God Hand[a] is a beat 'em up video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan and North America in 2006, and in 2007 for PAL territories. It was re-released for the PlayStation 3 as a PS2 Classics downloadable game on the PlayStation Network on October 4, 2011. The game was directed by Shinji Mikami, who desired to create the game for hardcore gamers intermixed with a large amount of comic relief. It initially received a mixed response from critics and sold only modestly upon its release in Japan. It was Clover Studio's final video game. Retrospectively, the game has been received more positively and is considered a cult classic.
The game mixes western and Japanese-themed comedy, containing over-the-top characters and storyline events. The gameplay combines traditional elements of the beat 'em up genre with new features, these include being able to map and string together a large repertoire of fighting techniques to the gamepad's face buttons in order to create unique combo attacks. The plot follows a martial artist protecting his companion and wielding a legendary divine arm called the "God Hand," in order to save the world from demons.
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