Bare Knuckle Sandwich

[h1] Bare Knuckle Sandwich [/h1] Bare Knuckle Sandwich is a game about Gunner, a down-on-his-luck guy who winds up finding himself through fighting. [h3] Gameplay [/h3] The gameplay loop is fantastic. There is an overworld where you can go shopping for cosmetics, play mini-games, talk to others, and initiate fights. The mini-games are a fun and have achievements with them that are just difficult enough to be worth shooting for. The fighting itself is also fantastic. This is a game solely based on skill, where if you were good enough (unlikely), you could beat the final fight right away if the option were given to you. What feels so good about the fights instead is how you can feel yourself getting better at fighting, just like Gunner, with each and every fight. By the time you finish the game, going back to earlier fights that once felt very difficult now feel trivial in comparison the next time through. That's a great feeling of accomplishment. The fights themselves are relatively simplistic control-wise (just arrow keys, WASD, QE). That firmly put this game in the easy to play, hard to master category for me. I like games that I can pick up and play quickly, but have a high skill ceiling. The achievement list is great as well and encourages you to master the game. If I had to nit-pick, I would have loved another mini-game or two. Since the ones that are there are strong, I wanted more. [h3] Story [/h3] Without saying too much, Gunner's story and those around him are satisfying and keep a thread between the fights that keep you invest. It never gets in the way, but is just enough to get you to care about what is happening. You are really rooting for Gunner and his journey of improvement, both inside and outside the ring. [h3] Sound [/h3] There are some great little touches on sound design here. The fights have subtle sound cues at times that you pick up and makes you better. It's straightforward, but highly effective. The soundtrack itself is also a high point. I thoroughly had fun with the tracks that played in both the club and the fights. It's hard to not have a song feel to repetitive while on loop and the game succeeds here. I would use the music to get into a rhythm during a fight, rather than it being a distraction. [h3] Art [/h3] The pixel art style of BKS is also worth noting. It's detailed enough to convey lots of little details, but also not overwhelmingly so as I have found some pixel art games to be where there is so much going on. The art lives in service of the world that was created here. Of particular note is the overworld, which has many bits of dark comedy sprinkled in if you are paying attention, and the characters themselves. Each and every character, particularly those you fight, have a distinct, memorable, and often hilarious, persona. I feel that's really important in a game like this to not just be fighting a slew of generic guys over and over, and the character designs really elevate the individual fights and story. [h3] Attention to Detail [/h3] I wanted to mention that there is clearly a lot of love and small details put into the game too. You repeatedly meet NPCs on the streets who have their own satisfying arcs over time as you talk to them. There's posters on buildings and walls that help paint a picture of a slightly hopeless world, mirroring Gunner's initial disposition. In one of the mini-games where you are tasked with moderating a stream, the audience's usernames and messages are hilarious when you catch them. There's lots of moments like this throughout. [h3] Conclusion [/h3] This game really struck a sweet spot for me in many ways. Difficulty, length, narrative, etc. were all polished to a shine. It's easily worth the asking price and can fill a couple of nights with fun.