Fight of Steel: Infinity Warrior is a great indie fighting game which does almost everything right. With huge amounts of replayability, customization options, and snappy gameplay, it’s a must buy in the current scene, especially for its budget price—less than 13USD. Its flaws can be overlooked quite easily, the online modes work reasonably well and the UI, while obnoxious, isn’t a huge barrier to enjoying the game. This game feels like a huge step forward for the Digital Crafter formula and shines as an example of what a good indie fighting game should aspire to be.
Category Archives: Reviews
52Beatup – believe in the heart of the cards!
What do you get when you mix a simplified, high-damage fighting game with a deckbuilding mechanic relying on randomness and choosing the best (or less worst) option on the flight? 52Beatup answers this question, putting on the table one of the most refreshingly unique indie fighting game experiences of the last few years.
DNF Duel Review
As if someone somewhere deep within the bowels of Nexon’s corporate machine finally said “there should be a fighting game about that”, DNF Duel is a 2D fighting game based on the characters and world of long-running smash hit MMO Dungeon Fighter Online. While adapting belt scrolling action to traditional fighting formulas is not new, publisher Nexon has teamed up with fighting game powerhouse Arc System Works & fighting game funnymen Eighting Co. to produce an undeniably unique title. Does it all work and is there enough here to please? Let’s get on with the review and find out.
Fight of Animals – greater than the sum of its parts
Fight of Animals is a weird beast to describe. Digital Crafter went from Jesus cross-ups to meme animals brawling in the span of just one year, but the level of additional polish Fight of Animals reached in such a small time (less than nine months between the two games) is stellar.
I’m not sure what the budget for Fight of Animals was, but all things considered there is an air of “doing the most with the smallest investment” that I can’t help but commend. This aura permeates the whole game and it’s equally charming and intriguing, especially under the lens of another developer.
One could think that such a downsized title cannot be that deep. However, they’d be totally wrong, because what’s left is more than enough and is the core of a very compelling fighting game experience—with a solid competitive community and an upcoming Vortex Gallery tournament in August!
Capcom Fighting Collection Review
Capcom Fighting Collection speaks to the enthusiasts with a bundle of 10 classic fighting games ranging from 5 iterations of the Vampire/Darkstalkers series, to the version-select compilation of Hyper Street Fighter II, and reaching for niche titles in Cyberbots, Red Earth, Super Gem Fighter and Super Puzzle Fighter II. Capcom promises rollback netcode, training features and museum content to offer the easiest way into these titles yet. The question is, how does it perform in the hands of enthusiasts? Let’s talk about it.
FOOTSIES — fighting games, distilled
According to Infil’s superb fighting game glossary, “footsies” is defined as:
“A complicated, often nebulous term that refers to the battle for controlling the space in front of you, often by using good pokes. In essence, you are trying to get to a range you like, while trying to deny your opponent getting to a range that they like. How you do this varies wildly based on the game, but it often involves using strong crouching kick attacks to pester your opponent as they are trying to walk around. This dance of playing mind games with your feet is the source of the term’s name.”
All fine and dandy. Playing footsies means measuring the space between you and your opponent, while trying to slowly, but surely, find an opening and keep them at a range where your options are better than theirs. What, one might ask, happens when someone takes this concept and builds a whole game around it? Well, the result is FOOTSIES — Rollback Edition, developed by HiFight, also known for his extensive coverage of fighting game tourneys and just-frame analysis of key matches!
Super Bout: Champion’s Tour – a 2D, 8-bit Virtua Fighter experience
If you ever wondered how it feels to play a 2D Virtua Fighter game, Super Bout: Champion’s Tour is exactly the game for you. It feels like a legitimate 3D fighter experience but flattened on a surface, down to its control system (Punch, Kick, Guard), the methodical spacing, emphasis on getting frame advantage and on juggling the opponent for large damage. There are very few links, most of which on counter attack, and low attacks are a luxury, more than the rule—useful for getting out of a pinch or having some decent frame advantage, but generally incapable of starting combos, except for a few outliers.
Super Bout is a game that fans of 3D fighter will definitely be able to enjoy, all for less than the price of a coffee.
MultiVersus Closed Alpha Impressions
This past week I’ve had the opportunity to partake in a closed alpha test of MultiVersus so I’ll be sharing my thoughts and feedback based on my experience with it. I played the entirety of the test on a PC. If you’re unfamiliar, MultiVersus is an upcoming platform fighter with an emphasis on “doubles” or 2-vs-2 format. The character roster draws from the IPs of publisher Warner Bros, so Bugs Bunny and Taz can trade blows with Superman and Wonder Woman among others. The game is scheduled to enter open beta in June and will be entirely free-to-play and supports cross-play with all target platforms (PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Playstation 4 & 5.)
Bearsus – Hibernation is CANCELED!
Not many games come back from being canceled. However, Bearsus did the unthinkable and resurrected from its own ashes. Today, we go through the history of this simplified, grizzly fighting game and what lead first to its premature death, then to its poetic rebirth. Hibernation is canceled, now it’s time to bear fangs!
Fighting Game Mysteries – Elecbyte
In 1999, M.U.G.E.N. would change forever the indie fighting game making scene. But who were the people behind it and Elecbyte? Why did they disappear into nothingness? Join us in a journey through the deep depths of the Wayback Machine, with a lot of trails gone cold, feral speculations and the words of some veteran M.U.G.E.N. content creators that were there when the story unfolded.