Josh Journey: Darkness Totems (v1.0.1)

Nightmare creatures spill from the Dream World into the Province World, turning its wind-swept, aquatic, desert, and industrial regions into colorful battlegrounds. Josh Journey: Darkness Totems is a hand-drawn side-scrolling beat ’em up built around fast arcade fights and a refreshingly old-school couch co-op spirit. Its story is straightforward—hunt down the corrupting totems that hold each province under the Darkness Shadow’s influence—but the lively animation and fantasy-cartoon tone keep the action playful rather than grim.

Players choose from four distinct heroes and push through enemy-filled stages by chaining standard attacks, special moves, and cooperative combo techniques. The roster covers familiar but useful brawler roles: close-range fighters wield a sword or hammer, while ranged characters bring magic and firearms to crowded encounters. Swapping to the hero that suits a situation, managing space around groups of monsters, and timing team attacks provide the core rhythm, especially when several players share the screen. Local co-op is the main attraction, allowing friends to cover one another’s weaknesses and turn hectic enemy waves into coordinated beatdowns, though solo players can still sample every combat style.

What makes the adventure stand out is its illustrated visual identity, which gives each province its own personality instead of presenting another generic urban brawler backdrop. The four-character setup also adds more variety than a one-note button masher, since melee bruisers and distance specialists approach the same threat in different ways. Fans of arcade staples such as Streets of Rage or Castle Crashers who want a lighter fantasy setting and straightforward local multiplayer should find plenty to like here. Josh Journey: Darkness Totems suits newcomers because its premise and controls are immediately readable, while veteran beat ’em up players get the most enjoyment from learning how the heroes’ attacks complement one another.