I don't write reviews often, but Fighties was one of my favorite games that I feel often got overlooked.
Fighties 2 is already looking incredibly promising. The combat is expanded, the fights last longer and are more intense, and all the while keeping it's simplistic charm and unique character playstyles.
All characters now have 2 powers and 1 defensive power, which varies their playstyles tremendously more than Fighties 1.
While every character had a dash and a dodge roll before, the defensive power replaces that so now a character's movement options depend more on the type of character they are.
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[*]The Boxer is a speed-type, that can move while attacking, flash step in any direction and has a counter that teleports them.
[*]The Ninja is an all-arounder with an upgradable projectile, the ability to disappear into smoke, and a leaping attack that dodges a lot of projectiles.
[*]The Shotgun Girl is all-range with limited ammunition which she recovers over time, but fires quickly, can dodge roll, and also has the spread shot of her shotgun.
[*]The Deer Knight is a defensive-type but now has zoning from the help of it's deer familiar that runs around on the field and can be controlled with the special button.
[*]The Robot is bullet-hell-like and can fly around freely with it's defensive ability, can fire quick weak bullets and activate auto turrets, that all slowly deplete two battery bars that replenish over time.
[*]The Puppet Master is a zoning character that has three separate puppets that can melee attack, shoot projectiles or defend depending on the puppet.
[*]And the [spoiler] Owl Girl [/spoiler] is a tricky-type that has a double swinging normal attack, and two separate projectiles that she can teleport to after throwing them, which can be used for super clever plays.
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There is also the inclusion on an "EX" system, which can power up any move or action for the cost of an energy bar that you recover upon landing attacks and being attacked. Dashes can cover twice the distance, projectiles can upgrade into larger projectiles, and attacks that normally clash with each other will instead have priority. It's an elegant system that encourages being aggressive but also timing your attacks.
There's also the addition of extreme knockback for adjacent attacks, including ranged attacks. Which allows you to get some breathing room between characters and not allow melee characters to auto combo enemies to immediate death. Also, the overhaul of graphics to hand drawn is an overall huge upgrade. The effects feel weightier and characters are lively and have dynamic animations.
Even the boss fights are better done than the previous in my opinion. Each boss only has 1 life but with a larger health bar. They have "phases" where they can't be hit while throwing out waves of attacks, and then return to a normal fight.
All in all, I'm excited to see where this goes because right now I think the combat is dynamic and fun, while also challenging against the AI. The developers seem to really just enjoy throwing fun, unique ideas for characters at the wall to see what sticks. And I'd be sad to see this game not get attention just because it only has 7 characters and 2 arcade modes right now. I feel like the main re-playability is playing this game with friends. But I'm excited to see them make some fun single player modes because I really enjoyed the boss fights they have as of right now. Also, I'm very excited to watch this roster flesh out into an incredible game.
