- Highly fun and engaging gameplay
- Fluid combat and innovative combo system
- Excellent online performance reported by some
- Clunky and unresponsive controls reported by others
- Broken online functionality reported by others
- Unfinished and unpolished game experience
Emotions
Players are highly satisfied with the game's overall fun experience, smooth and deep combat system, and well-designed characters. The game's value for money, unique identity, and responsive controls also contribute significantly to player satisfaction.
Excitement stems from the game's addictive and fast-paced gameplay, particularly the innovative combo system and airdash mechanics. Players are also highly enthusiastic about the game's future potential, including anticipated content updates, modding support, and new characters.
Frustration is primarily caused by technical issues such as buggy netcode, online disconnection problems, and game crashes. Players also express significant frustration with clunky, unresponsive controls, lack of D-pad support, and character balance issues, particularly with the 'Rend' character.
Disappointment arises from the game's perceived unfinished state, including a limited character roster, missing basic features like tutorials and proper key remapping, and unplayable online functionality. Players are also let down by clunky controls and a general lack of polish.
Joy is consistently expressed due to the game's inherent fun, engaging gameplay, and the enjoyment of playing with friends. The game's simplicity, silliness, good music, and overall positive experience contribute to this emotion.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 78% · Negative 22%. Score: 22 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly find the game incredibly fun, engaging, and addictive, especially when playing with friends. Its affordable price point and unique approach to the platform fighter genre are frequently highlighted as major positives, contributing to a high perceived value and significant replayability.
- The game is lauded for its smooth, fast-paced combat and movement, which feels fresh and distinct within the platform fighter genre. The intentional removal of traditional mechanics like grabs and shields is seen as a positive, contributing to a unique and skill-based experience.
- The game's innovative combo system, particularly the dash and airdash cancel mechanics, is a standout feature. Players praise its depth, fluidity, and the creative freedom it offers, making combos feel incredibly satisfying and rewarding to execute.
- Despite a small initial roster, players appreciate the unique design and balanced nature of each character. Their distinct movesets offer varied playstyles, contributing to the game's depth and replayability.
- The game resonates strongly with fans of other platform fighters, especially Rivals of Aether and Smash Bros., due to its similar feel, mechanics, and high skill ceiling. It's seen as a worthy successor or a fresh alternative in the genre.
Negatives:
- Players report that the game's controls are clunky, unresponsive, and poorly mapped, especially for keyboard and mouse users. There's a strong desire for D-pad movement, better keybind customization, and mouse support for attacks and menus. The overall movement feels 'floaty' or 'slippery', making precise actions difficult.
- A significant number of players experienced severe issues with online functionality, including non-working servers, frequent disconnections, high latency, and inability to join friends' lobbies. Quickplay is also buggy, often leading to empty lobbies or crashes. PS5 controller support is also problematic in online modes.
- Many players feel the game was released in an unfinished and rushed state, lacking content, polish, and basic quality-of-life features. There are reports of general bugs, lag, and a sense that the core gameplay is clunky and unpolished.
- The game is perceived as very difficult and unforgiving for new players, with a high skill floor and a lack of proper tutorials or in-game explanations for core mechanics. This makes it hard for beginners to understand controls, character abilities, and advanced techniques.
- Several core gameplay mechanics are either poorly explained or missing entirely, such as air dash cancels, parry timing, and the absence of ledge grabs, shields, and a traditional grab mechanic. This leads to confusion and a feeling of incompleteness in the combat system. Additionally, some moves lack visual feedback or impact.
Gameplay:
- The game features a unique and deep combo system, heavily relying on an 'air dash cancel' mechanic after successful hits. This allows for extensive combo routes and requires significant practice to master, contributing to a high skill ceiling. The game lacks traditional defensive options like shields or grabs, emphasizing offensive play.
- The game is frequently compared to Rivals of Aether, particularly Rivals of Aether 1, and other platform fighters like Smash Bros. It's seen as a true 'Rivals-like' game, iterating on its core mechanics while introducing its own unique elements.
- At launch, the game offers a limited roster of three playable characters and three stages. While more content is planned, including a fourth character soon after release, the initial offering is quite small.
- Many players note the game's resemblance to 'Your Only Move Is Hustle' (Yomi Hustle), describing it as a real-time version of that game. This comparison highlights its strategic depth and unique combat flow.
- The developers have plans to expand the game's content post-launch, including new characters, additional stages, and quality-of-life improvements. Workshop/mod support is also anticipated.
Performance:
- The netcode generally receives positive feedback for its rollback implementation, leading to a smooth online experience. However, some players report occasional lag spikes, especially during cross-continental matches, and there were initial launch issues that were quickly resolved.
- The game has very low system requirements and a small file size, allowing it to run smoothly on a wide range of hardware.
- Players report that the game runs well on the Steam Deck, indicating good compatibility and performance on the portable device.
- A few players experienced game crashes, with one specific error related to networking being reported. This suggests some instability, though it appears to be infrequent.
- The game currently lacks native support for GameCube controllers, which is a common preference for many fighting game players.
Recommendations:
- Many players highly recommend the game, citing its fun gameplay, fast-paced combat, and excellent value for its price. They believe it's a worthwhile purchase, especially for fans of the genre or for playing with friends.
- The game is strongly recommended for fans of platform fighters, particularly those who enjoy games like Smash Bros., Rivals of Aether, or Brawlhalla. However, some suggest it might be too challenging for newcomers to the genre.
- Some players advise waiting to purchase the game, primarily due to current issues with online play and ping, especially for certain regions. They hope for future updates to resolve these problems.
- A few players suggest that other established platform fighters, like Smash Bros., might offer a better experience. This indicates a desire for more polish or features comparable to genre leaders.
- Players from the LATAM region specifically recommend waiting to buy the game if planning to play alone, suggesting a current lack of a strong local community for online matches.
Miscellaneous:
- Players are highly anticipating new content, especially additional characters, stages, and robust mod/workshop support. This is seen as crucial for the game's longevity and community engagement, with many expecting significant growth and improvement through these additions.
- The game's community aspect, particularly via Discord, is noted. Some players, especially those new to platform fighters, find the game challenging and suggest it's more enjoyable with controllers and friends, indicating a need for better new player onboarding.
- There's a general sentiment that the game, while promising, is currently incomplete or needs more development time. Players expect ongoing quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and additional settings to enhance the experience, with many anticipating these issues will be addressed soon.
- Players have specific suggestions for gameplay mechanics, including movement options (D-pad, walk/run toggle), hitbox adjustments, and the addition of a grappler character. These aim to improve comfort, accessibility, and combat flow.
- The game's low price point, often around $5, is frequently mentioned. This affordability is seen as a positive factor, making the game an accessible investment for many players.
