Steam's "Fest" events are a way to get more eyes on upcoming titles; today, we're going to be looking at the Fighting Games Fest that is currently running, July 15th to the 22nd. In this reviewer's (expert) opinion, Fighting games tend to feel rather similar to each other - whether it be Soul Calibur, Tekken, or Street Fighter, they're all more-or-less looking to achieve the same thing as 2D Fighters. As such, I'll be perusing through the demos in search of more unique offerings, games that took the "Fighting" tag and ran with it! Hopefully some will make their way onto your Wishlist - and mine - in the near future.

Don't agree with my approach? Then fight me!

Remember you have until Monday (July 22nd) to play what you can!

These are presented in alphabetical order.

Eclipse Breaker

Release Date:  "To be announced."
Developed by:  Lunar Workshop
Published by:  Lunar Workshop

Eclipse Breaker is an arena-fighter inspired heavily by 90's-era Final Fantasy games, demonstrating similar graphics as Final Fantasy VIII in particular. It also uses the Active Time Battle combat system - wherein you must wait for your meter to fill before you can act - but mixed with moving around the arena in real time, dodging and blocking enemy attacks.

As the character of Ember, when the gauge fills you can Attack with your big sword, use a Special to dash through enemies to your target, and/or a Utility spell to set up extra damage and get a shield. Doing damage fills your Ultimate meter, which in turn lets you attack several times in a row. Plus, in a manner that would make Squall Leonhart proud, each Attack can inflict greater damage if you successfully activate the Trigger as the weapon connects with the enemy. Anyone familiar with that character should feel right at home with this - Ember's Ultimate even reminds me of Renzokuken!

Regarding the real-time elements, foes always act in the same way depending on their type, so by recognizing their moves you can dodge, block, or move away in an appropriate manner while you wait your turn to strike back. Eclipse Breaker is also a roguelike, and as such has familiar mechanics that you might expect of such a game. Buying passives that'll carry into your runs, earning special powerups after each level to dramatically boost or alter your character's loadout; it wants to be "Final Fantasy Rogue", and in that way it is succeeding.

With the game being very much a Work In Progress, only one character was available to play in the demo (that I could determine), and I was not able to see the full 3-person party in action. I'm very curious how that would work: would I have to move all three characters around the arena simultaneously in real time, keeping in mind their ATB gauges? That seems like a recipe for pain! Still, it was fun for the brief time I had with the game; as a lover of Final Fantasy (especially VIII), Eclipse Breaker could be right up my alley after it gets fleshed out some more.

Rune Coliseum

Release Date:  September 2024
Developed by:  Rafale Software
Published by:  Rafale Software

Take on the role of a gladiator in Rune Coliseum, a deckbuilding-roguelike fighter. After preparing your moves with the cards/tiles you draw each turn, you'll witness combat unfold in real time. By seeing what the computer will do in advance, you can plan accordingly to outmaneuver, out-damage, and overcome your opponents.

I was totally hooked during my time with the demo, and had to force myself to stop playing to continue writing this article! It reminds me of a more complicated Shogun Showdown, and while SS is fun in a breezy kind of way - runs don't take very long - Rune Coliseum is rather involved, with each arena battle taking a fair amount of time to execute. Not in a bad way, mind you: I relished the puzzle of trying to maximize my damage output while minimizing anything coming my way, and when I could defeat my opponent in a single turn with no damage taken, I felt like a true champion.

All told there will be four different modes of play when the game releases, with Multiplayer, what appeared to be a custom mode, a classic roguelike/arcade Challenge mode, and "Roadmap Mode" which I'm guessing is something akin to Slay the Spire with a more campaign-like map structure. The latter was unavailable, so I headed into Challenge mode and had a grand ol' time. Each stage(?) has two paths to choose from, with regular battles, elite fights, shop or smithing opportunities, and the occasional curveball "?" event to take on. After choosing a path, you follow it to completion (or your demise), accruing Gold to buy stuff mid-run, Offerings to unlock new characters and rewards, plus new cards and equipment to deck out your character. About 2.5 hours later, I defeated the final boss of the run - or at least, I got as far as the demo would let me - and I cashed in.

With a bunch of different characters seemingly available to play and experience - not to mention all the equipment, abilities, and builds to try out - I could see the game lasting a good while, even without a proper story. If you're looking for a "thinking (wo)man's fighting game", I definitely recommend checking out Rune Coliseum!

Shady Knight

Release Date:  Q3 2024
Developed by:  Alexy 'cptnsigh'
Published by:  Alexy 'cptnsigh'

It's perhaps a bit of a stretch to consider Shady Knight a true "fighting game", being more of a slick first-person platformer. The kind where being light on your feet and stylish with your combos trumps pure efficiency in reaching the goal. But hey, I don't curate these collections of demos; I just play them! Utilizing your chain-hook, weapons you find along the way, and your mighty boot, you'll kick, shoot, and/or slash your way through enemies on one's path to destroying an orb at the top of each level. All in the name of looking cool without having to tell anyone you're cool.

The demo is more of a tutorial than anything, getting you used to your abilities before the real game kicks in...with a later purchase, at any rate. Still, it's quite fun, relying almost exclusively on one's skill with the controls versus any kind of randomness or luck. There are no abilities to unlock, and nothing to upgrade: what you have is available from the jump, so it's just a matter of learning how best to use them for maximum spectacle.

With practice I'm sure I could get better at this sort of thing, but as it stands I was happy to reach the end-point without taking damage, nevermind killing everything along the path like a pro. I would chain-grab enemies to toss them aside, or kick them off ledges - which never got old - but a B grade was the best I could manage on each level. Some enemies were "blessed", which seemed to mean they were resistant to your attacks, but I didn't learn their weakness; I merely avoided them as best I could. Kind of runs against the "spirit" of the game, but all well.

All-in-all, I could see myself enjoying Shady Knight with more investment, and anyone truly skilled in speed-running and first-person platforming would surely get a kick out of this game. A kick right off the ledge, that is! Ah, I am so witty.

Two Strikes

Release Date:  May 31, 2021 (Early Access)
Developed by: Retro Reactor
Published by: Entalto Publishing

Two Strikes is a 2D fighting game wherein you can die in just one or two attacks. It's the successor of One Strike, a game where you die in a single blow. Let me know if I'm going too fast here. Taking place in ancient Japan, this beautiful hand-drawn title requires a different kind of patience and timing than a traditional 2D fighter, considering the lethality at play.

For an Early Access title that first released three years ago, there is surprisingly little here, with only two characters to play as in singleplayer. I suppose multiplayer is where a majority of one's playtime would reside. Still, for a game only being made by three people, it is very pretty and plays well. It's not my cup of tea, but I could see how it would be very enjoyable for the right player.

You see, when it comes to combat I'm generally of two mindsets: winning via better preparation, and/or trading blows and overcoming the odds through sheer force of will. As such, being struck down from a single heavy attack after the AI parried me made for quite the learning experience. The level 0 computer was insultingly easy so I bumped it up one notch, only to then spend the next 30 minutes trying to win a Best-of-5 with both characters. Don't get me wrong, I like "one shot = one kill" weapons in my shooters (i.e: shotguns and sniper rifles), but this is a different beast I found difficult to tame.

Based on my struggles, I can't truly recommend Two Strikes, but that comes with the understanding that I am the wrong demographic for it. I kind of figured that would happen, but gave it a shot nevertheless: doesn't hurt to broaden your horizons and try new things!

Conclusion/Final Rankings

Now that you've read through all of the reviews - or if you're just looking for a "TL;DR" - I'll conclude with reordering the games based how much I enjoyed them. Any that found their way onto my Wishlist will be noted with an asterisk as well!

  1. Rune Coliseum*
  2. Shady Knight
  3. Eclipse Breaker
  4. Two Strikes

And there you have it! Don't forget you have until next Monday (the 22nd of July) to play whatever demos tickle your fancy, at least until the next Steam Fest event.

What do you think of these games? Discover any good gems in this month's Fighting Fest worth buying? Let us know in the comments below!