Summary
Getting an indie game off the ground and into the players’ hard drives can be tricky. The big console storefronts usually only go for mainstream games or games that hit the big time. Indie games can also get lost in the shuffle on places like Steam, especially for buyers who remember how Steam Greenlight turned out. Still, it’s worked out pretty well foritch.io.
Founded by Leaf Corcoran in 2013, the website has been a reliable place to get indie games, assets, zines, and even music, among other media. The developers get more freedom in both creativity and business too, as they can use the site to take part in game jams and make their own bundles. So, if anyone finds these great fighting games in an itch.io bundle, it’ll be worth their while.
For the sake of variety, fan-made games based on existing IPs will be excluded.
1We Need To Talk
Itch.io Score: 4.7/5
Most fighting games can be intimidating to learn because characters will either have a move list that’s a mile long (Tekken) or have tricky motions to learn (King of Fightersand their Pretzel Motions).We Need to Talksimplifies the process by sticking to the arrow keys and spacebar. The aim of the game is to avoid what seems like a serious conversation for as long as possible.
Players pick their response cards by typing in their directions, which can be as simple as pressing left or a mix of all 4 directions in quick succession. Each can result in throwing a fireball, freeze attack, or push-back strike depending on if they have a Red, Blue, or Green keyword in them. If push comes to shove, the player can press the spacebar to pull off their ultimate attack. It’s a simple, single-player, high-score affair, but one with plenty of charm.
2Toe 2 Toe
Itch.io Score: 4.5/5
Plazatin also saw the complexity of fighting games as an issue for new players, as well as cheesy tactics (“My opponent keeps running away!”) and the tech requirements (“My lemon PC can’t run fighting games”). This led them to makeToe 2 Toe, a simple fighting game where the fighters stay in place and pick a mix of four displayed options to win.
With Game Boy-inspired graphics and some impressively lush animations, players pick a female boxer, then block, jab, duck, and hook punch their way to victory. It’s simple for anyone to pick up, and since it was originally submitted for the 20-Second Game Jam, individual bouts go by quickly too. The game supports joypad and keyboard controls and aims to add extra features in the future, like new boxers, and new commands like the Uppercut.
3Gladihoppers
Itch.io Score: 4.6/5
Gladihoppersis also available on GitHub, Poki, Google Play, and the App Store. But it’s been on itch.io since 2019, and via its development log, finally reached its Final Version (“Probably”) in 2021. It replicates the gladiator battles fought in the Coliseum and circuses in the Roman Empire via bloody, 2D combat, with the caveat that the characters have to hop back and forth across the stages to move.
The gameplay is simple enough. Players swing their weapons at each other to strike their opponent right in their hitboxes until they’re a bloody mess. But it’s more involved than that. Players can earn money to get better weapons or more armor in the Career Mode, force their opponent into stage hazards like spiked floors, and take part in the “Spartacus War” strategy game. For a simple bundle of fun, Dreamon Studios really got intoits historical setting.
4EGGNOGG+
The curiously namedEGGNOGG+combines the weapon-based gameplay ofGladihopperswithSmash Bros-style platform fighting. Made for the 2013 March TOJam as a parody of the then-unreleasedNiddhog, the originalEGGNOGGsaw players bound off the stage walls, ceilings, and other surfaces to attack their opponents and force them into hazards like spike pits and more.
EGGNOGG+ups the ante by throwing in new maps to explore, wall slides to throw the opponent off (and just for fun), and by expanding the gameplay. Players can now parry their opponent’s strike to catch them off-guard, or even disarm them entirely. They can trip them up into traps or run them through with the Flèche attack. It also comes with controller config options for players to tailor to their liking.
5First Cut
BeneathEGGNOGG+’s simple pixel looks is an intricate, medieval-themed swordplay game.First Cutgoes for a more feudal Japan-based theme to fit itsBushido Blade-style gameplay. This means there are no special moves, life bars, or super meters. All the player needs to win is one good strike to kill their opponent in a horribly bloody way. Their opponent can also do the same to them if they’re not careful.
While the controls are simpler thanStreet FighterorTekken, they’re not mash-friendly either. Players have to mix horizontal and vertical strikes to keep the opponent guessing. Blocking these in different ways can provide different openings for counterattacks. Blocking will increase fatigue, so players will have to mix in swift dodges to give them some breathing room too. It’s a good option for players who want something more tense and complex.
6Your Only Move Is HUSTLE
Itch.io Score: 4.8/5
Also available on Steam,Your Only Move is HUSTLE(YOMIH) takes the fighting game concept and turns itinto a turn-based strategy game, where players have to pick the right moves from a table of options during their turn to get the advantage. Instead of testing their knowledge of motions, the game tests the player’s ability to read their opponent’s moves, or “yomi” in FGC circles.
They have to read quickly in multiplayer matches too, as their turns are on a time limit, and they have to be aware of their defensive options. Bursts and parries can get the opponent off their back but, if used improperly, will leave them open to punishment. The single-player modes are more forgiving, whereas casual players can even use them to make their own elaborate, StickDeath-style fight scenes.
