Exploding Judo Federation

Excellent game, fun to play, packed with content and made with love!

Very nice.

This game feels like finding an obscure budget PS1 game in the back of a used game store, picking it up because of the cool title, and being blown away by how well it punches above its weight. ExploJudo has a simple concept. Every throw is lethal. But, like fellow gimmick fighter DiveKick, that pitch gives way to a lot of interesting mechanics, and is far more fleshed out than that one IMO. The mechanics seem simple on the surface, but have a LOT of depth lurking below the surface. Everybody has defined combos and roles, but the ever-present threat of "throw equals death" means matches are quick, short, but. Well. Explosive. The cast is nicely sized, with some very inspired designs. Barion especially is my favorite given that he can just snap the rules of the game in half by ACTUALLY DAMAGING people. Oh, and for single players- there's arcade mode endings for every standard character, and a full lore (which, as someone who dove deep into Schwarzerblitz, was greatly appreciated.) It's nice to see what the cast of that game is up to after the events of it, and the plot- though i won't spoil it here- is pretty funny. Presentation is a noticeable upgrade compared to Schwarzerblitz, with a bombastic announcer and big chunky explosions for when you finally land a grab. Just a little touch that increases the hype quite a bit. For a FREE fighting game on steam, you really can't do any better. Grab this and have a good time!

Exploding Judo Federation is a surprisingly deep fighting game hiding underneath the veneer of meme fighter. The premise "One grab (and nothing else) kills" at first glance puts into mind thoughts of games like Footsies: An aspect of fighting games, distilled and concentrated into a single gimmick that then becomes the foundation of a whole game. And upon first trying the game at a tournament, the vibe was a similar one: A Party Fighter. Everyone was rolling around, mashing raw grabs and occasionally triggering a special ability after landing a few non-grab stray hits. It was undiluted and fun chaos! I didn't think it was much deeper than that. I was wrong. Having now spent more time with the game, further layers did open up bit by bit. First was your typical 3D fighting game movement and area denial. Normals still beating grabs means the game suddenly turns a lot more defensive. Then came combo-ing into simple grabs, bringing the needed response to the offense. Suddenly the characters began feeling really distinct beyond their supers and basic movement. Being able to confirm into a grab super fast or with varied timing or grabs, or being able grab at a large distance, being able to build a lot of meter fast, having invulnerabilities or movement associated with attacks to set up dodges or undefendable back-grabs, it all begins to matter more and more. Or rather, we finally noticed it mattered all along. Down the rabbit hole. One of the game's biggest flaws, the fact that none of this depth was readily visible to us at the start, has been completely fixed with version 1.2 adding a trial mode and character tutorials that display a lot of the cool tech on offer for each character. And again, the game's feel has turned in response. Now with the full effectiveness of combos visible and therefore more available, suddenly it feels like a full-on 3D Fighting Game where you got only a few combos you can eat ere you'll have lost for sure. Evolving from the distilled idea all the way back to a fully formed game. A fun, chaotic "party fighter" at the start, a full fighting game one can be seriously invested in by the end, or rather the new beginning. What a journey. And all for the low, low price of absolutely FREE. I will make certain this will be a mainstay for side events at the local tournaments.

Its a free fighting game where matches can be over and done with in seconds. I like the characters, I like the speed and I can't wait to try out multiplayer.

Back in the day fighting games, especially 3D ones, would have weird modes that were vastly different from the core gameplay or added some stipulation on top of it that would lead to chaos. Exploding Judo Federation is what happens when one of these obscure bonus modes is turned into a full game. The goal is simple: the enemy must hit the ground. If they do, they die. Naturally, the same applies to you. While very simple at first, the quick reaction timing required increases as does the need for set-ups, which leads to frantic scrambles to see who lands a throw first. It's quite fun, and if you can get someone to play locally, even moreso.

Exploding Judo Federation is one of the funniest fighting games I have played in a while because it takes the idea of judo and pushes it into complete chaos. Every grab can be lethal, so the usual fighting game strategy of slowly wearing down an opponent goes out the window. I liked how tense even a simple exchange can become when one successful throw can immediately end the match. The combat revolves around movement, strikes and grabs. I have to use attacks to create openings, then find the right moment to grab my opponent and finish the fight. Rolling around the arena is just as important as attacking because positioning can decide everything. I enjoyed how simple the rule set is to understand while still leaving room for timing and mind games. The super moves add another fun layer. Different characters can have very different finishing options, including counters, powerful grabs and ranged attacks. I liked that these abilities can instantly change the situation because it gives every fighter another threat to consider. It also makes learning the matchup between different characters more interesting. The stages and presentation fit the ridiculous concept perfectly. The colorful comic book style makes everything feel intentionally exaggerated, while the explosive throws give the matches a wonderfully stupid sense of spectacle. I also appreciated the full movement system because being able to roll around and reposition makes the matches feel much more active than a traditional grappling game. My biggest issue is that the concept can become repetitive once the novelty wears off. The core rules are strong, but there are only so many ways to approach a match when every fight revolves around creating and avoiding grab opportunities. I also think the experience benefits much more from having someone else to fight against than playing alone for long sessions. The local multiplayer support is therefore a big plus for me. Sitting down with another person and figuring out how to outplay each other is where the mechanics really shine. The matches are fast enough that losing does not feel like a disaster, and the lethal grab system means there is always a chance for a sudden comeback. Overall, Exploding Judo Federation is a hilarious and surprisingly clever fighting game that understands exactly why its strange premise is fun. I liked the movement, lethal throws, super moves and simple rules, while the colorful presentation keeps the whole thing entertaining. It could use more variety, but the core fighting is good enough that I kept wanting to play another round. Rating: 7.2/10