Now Playing: Charlie Murder (Xbox 360)

You'll fight all kinds of horrible enemies such as this guy

UPDATE!! Ska Studios has announced the patch is finally available, fixing several issues in the game. Click here for full details.

Available today for free until the end of the month to Gold subscribers is the Xbox Live Arcade game from Ska Studios, Charlie Murder. Charlie Murder combines the classic beat 'em up formula from classic games such as Streets of Rage and adds some RPG elements such as leveling up and picking new abilities and increasing your stats.

The game tells the story of Charlie and Paul, two guys playing together who want to start a band and become big. Unfortunately for Paul, Charlie starts up a punk band called Charlie Murder with some other friends and Paul is left to wallow in his self pity. To get revenge Paul cuts a deal with the devil and raises the dead to stop Charlie and starts a metal band called Gore Quaffer. Who will win in this battle of the bands??

You wanna feel bad for Paul but his anger is just too funny

While the game mechanics for Charlie Murder are pretty simple, the RPG elements really add to the game. You and up to four friends play as one of the five band members and fight your way through hordes of zombies, pirates, guys with pumpkins on their heads, guys with chainsaws, witches with pistols, ninjas, and even Sasquatches. While each character has the same basic punch and kick attacks they also have different abilities that make them unique. For example Kelly has a scream attack that surrounds her in protective safety pins, Tommy can take decapitated heads and make a totem pole that allows characters to heal or brain totem poles that shoot out lasers and Rex hops on his drum set to spew knives and other sharp objects at enemies to defeat them.

These abilities are gained by leveling up and also by getting tattoos for your characters in tattoo parlors. You can also attack with the various debris that ends up scattered throughout the levels as well such as knives, guns, heads, chainsaws, arms and more. Charlie Murder also mixes up the action so you never get bored. There's mini-games like a Rock Band-like music play along, skateboarding, and even a child on a harness who eats garbage.

The mini-games do a great job keeping things interesting

Charlie Murder isn't for everybody though. The game is very violent and bloody, including stomping enemies heads and eating their brains and it's screechy punk soundtrack, despite fitting the game perfectly, may not be everybody's cup of tea. There's also some multiplayer connection issues and a glitched achievement (though a patch is in the works). These are just minor though for a game that's basically been made by two people, is fairly long and contains three difficulties, each with a unique alternate version of each character.

So, other than a few minor quibbles Charlie Murder is very highly recommended to anybody who loves punk, rock or metal music, blood and gore, or just a really fun beat 'em up. And if you're a gold member for Xbox Live there really isn't a reason for you to not pick it up for free before the end of the month. 

For more on Ska Studios click here