Last month I was invited to take part in an indie showcase of fighting games. The Indie Fighting Games Fest on Steam was tied to this and during the event, I was able to show off two very interesting games. While I had streamed both Yomi 2 and God Of Rock, there were other titles that I didn’t get a chance to show off during the Steam Fest. These three titles are Resistance 204X, FOOTSIES, and Mega Knockdown.
Being that each title is compact enough to deserve its own section, I’ll feature all three games here in one post. A huge special thanks to the developer of Mega Knockdown, who also hosted the Steam Indie Fighting Games Fest, for providing us with the opportunity to try all of these titles out! Links for each of the games will also be provided so players can either check them out for themselves and/or wishlist before their release!
Resistance 204X
The official information blurb for Resistance 204X is described as Street Fighter meets Nidhogg and that is the best way I can describe this frantic visual eye candy of flashing lights and animations. While the former needs no introduction, Nidhogg is an indie fighting game released in 2014 with graphics and gameplay reminiscent of 1980s console games. Players fight each other in a 2D environment while scoring kills on each other. Whenever a player is defeated, the survivor can use this opportunity to run to the opposite side. Whoever reaches the opposite end of the player’s goal-line wins.
Another good example would be comparing it to American Football, with each player acting as both a quarterback and a linebacker at the same time for their own goal. The flow of combat and ease of controls feels like a platform fighter, yet the reversal system feels like an SNK fighter. Getting hit hurts a lot. Punishment, counters, and cross-up attacks are deadly here, yet Resistance 204X is the epitome of “it’s not over until someone crosses the finish line.”
Resistance 204X doesn’t have a release date yet, but players can play the demo and wishlist on Steam here.
FOOTSIES
Another community classic, FOOTSIES was a game I’ve always seen but never sat down and played it for more than a few seconds. Officially released in 2020, the concept was created by developer HiFight, best known for their fighting game highlights from tournaments all over the world They are also known for their in-depth analysis on clutch rounds in various Capcom Pro Tour events. Five minutes alone with this game serves as a testament to this person’s knowledge of fighting games.
The best way I can explain FOOTSIES is to imagine a scenario where it’s the final hit for both players and one good hit confirm, whiff punish, block punish, and parry confirm is enough to take the round from either player. Each round of FOOTSIES replays that scenario in a best three out of five with only three buttons, moving left, right, and an attack button. FOOTSIES is perfect to learn the fundamentals of fighting games, placing the player in a very realistic scenario as a training method.
FOOTSIES is available on PC. Here’s a link to their official GitHub as well as the game’s Steam page.
Mega Knockdown
The final game I have the honor of featuring is Mega Knockdown, developed by dhamster who hosted the Steam Fest as mentioned earlier. It would be disrespectful if I didn’t take a look at his own game, so it was an absolute treat to check out Mega Knockdown for myself. Entering Early Access in the Summer of 2022, Mega Knockdown sets itself from the previous entries as it shares a lot of traits with Yomi 2. It’s a fighting game that features turn-based combat as its main form of gameplay.
As of right now, there's a sizable roster each with an archetype that has its own strengths and weaknesses. I used Billy for an Arcade run after playing the tutorial and the playstyles between the tutorial character and Billy are like night and day. Each character has unique frame data, meaning certain moves come out faster than others. Since Billy's a grappler, they have a special move that not only deals a lot of damage to most enemies, but it's also untechable. Billy's special throw doesn't have the best range, meaning it can be zoned out, but grapplers want the opponent to run, so eventually they'll get grabbed...
Mega Knockdown is currently in Early Access and this is a game I recommend for those who want to play more fighting games in a non-fighting game way. It also teaches the player scenarios, just like FOOTSIES, yet with multiple layers including jumping and throwing.