Tom Cruise had already laid his claim on the action genre playing Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible movies, but that wasn't enough for him. In 2012, he started busting heads on the big screen as Jack Reacher, a role he reprised for the upcoming sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. However, the folks at Paramount Pictures don't want fans to go through this life without knowing what it's like to beat up bad guys as Jack Reacher, which is why they've released a new online video game, titled Jack Reacher: Never Stop Punching.
With only a month to go until Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is released, Paramount has unveiled Never Stop Punching to the world to commemorate National Punch Day. See, it's funny because the day is actually referring to the "punch" drinks, but this is...never mind. The side-scroller game is playable on the Jack Reacher movie website and can also be downloaded on Google Play. Taking away all those pesky plot points in favor of basic, 8-bit goodness, this video game lets users play as a Jack Reacher who "has nothing to lose and everything to punch." The controls are simple enough when playing on a keyboard: press the 'Z' key to punch and the 'X' key to jump. As you charge forward, the bad guys keep coming, leaving it up to you whether to jump out of their way or punch them in the face. Just make sure not to lose those five hearts, otherwise you'll be forced to stop punching...permanently!
This isn't the first time a blockbuster movie has released some kind of video game as a promotional tool. For instance, X-Men: Apocalypse featured a few old-school games on its website earlier this year to capitalize on the movie's 1980s setting. Still, it was a genius move to release this game on National Punch Day. Granted, we still suggest you enjoy a glass of fruit punch or any other kind of 'punch' beverage, but also check out this video game while you're at it. Also, be on the lookout for the upcoming sequel, Never Stock Kicking: When Punches Don't Cut It. Okay, I'm just spitballing with that one.
Based on the 2005 novel One-Shot by Lee Child, 2012's Jack Reacher movie followed the eponymous protagonist, an ex-Army investigator, trying to figure out whether a sniper who killed five people was truly guilty of this crime. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back follows up with the character four years later as he is accused of a 16-year-old homicide and must fight to both prove his innocence and figure out what conspiracy is targeting him. The movie's cast also includes Cobie Smulders, Patrick Heusinger, Danika Yarosh and Robert Knepper.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back hits theaters on October 21.
