I like fighting games. I’m also bad at fighting game. These two things frequently come into conflict with each other.
I know lots of things having to do with the subject. Frame traps, mixups, setplay, neutral, managing frame data and options… but I have trouble juggling it all in the moment. I fumble one input, my concentration goes out the window, and I lose the match. It’s a shame, because I really do like fighting games. The mix of execution and expression, dedicated players and fanbases, and a whole lot of style in some of these games gives me a nice, warm feeling in my chest. But for all the fighting games I’ve played, I’m generally average-to-bad at them. Which gets a little frustrating.
There have been some attempts to simplify fighting games, or at least put them into different contexts. Fantasy Strike removes some input complexity, swapping out health bars for health blocks. Dive Kick removes every input except for jump and attack. Lethal League removes direct combat in favor of dodgeball mechanics. Even Super Smash Bros (And other platform fighters that have come after) tend to be simpler than a lot of more traditional 2d or 3d fighters, at least on the surface. Smash is probably the one of these that I’m best at.
I never would’ve thought that adding another layer of complexity would make the game more approachable.
Your Only Move Is Hustle (Frequently abbreviated to Y.O.M.I Hustle) is a fast-paced turn-based fighting game where you can see the future. It sounds contradictory, but it’s in my top 5 games to come out this year. It’s literally my 4th most played game on steam by hour count already, and if that’s not a testament to how good the game is, the fact that it’s overwhelmingly positive on steam (and only $5) should help persuade you to give the game a try. But if that’s still not enough, let me walk you through a little bit more.
Y.O.M.I. Hustle is kind of a choreography based fighting game. From all of the things you can do on your turn, you choose an option. Attack, block, dodge, advance, retreat, and so on. All with the click of a button, and another to “lock in” your action. You can also select what move you think your opponent with make, and it’ll give you a projected view of the future for a few seconds. Who gets hit, who gets to move again first, along with some more nitty-gritty data about those actions. When you’re ready, you lock in. And your opponent is doing the same thing on their end.
This gameplay style turns the decision making, option select, and prediction aspect of more traditional fighting games from split-second affairs to calculated gambits more akin to a chess match. Yes, you may be perfectly positioned to use your quickest attack, but if your opponent parries you, they’ll be poised to attack before you recover. So you may use a stronger, slower attack to avoid their parry… but that could give them time to use their own attack that beats your own. You have all the time in the world to make these decisions, and each character has plenty of different options. Which helps, because as of writing, there are only 4 official characters.
The cast at the moment consists of Ninja, Cowboy, Wizard, and Robot. Complex names, I know. But their gameplay is anything but.
- Ninja is the fastest character, having a good number of fast close range attacks, a pair of nunchaku, shuriken, and clone summons. There can be lots of complexity in your play style with them, as at any point you can swap positions with one of your projectiles. Or stop your current momentum, and release it later for a burst of speed. Or throw out caltrops, which you can swap yourself with… plenty of options there that can make for a very deceptive playstyle.
- Cowboy is probably the easiest character to wrap your head around when getting started. You have a sword, you have a gun, and you have a lasso. You can also teleport. Your basic attacks mix range and speed well, and while your gun is your slowest move, you’re able to ricochet the bullets off of walls, floors, and ceilings… and with the right amount of setup, your own sword. How many times can you hit somebody with a single bullet? You can always teleport your bullets in place of yourself. Or if that sounds too complicated, hurling your gun at the enemy is perfectly viable.
- Wizard is all about projectiles and zoning. They have the longest ranged attacks, the widest variety of projectiles, and the best “keep away” ability in their anti-gravity meter. It means they can suspend themselves in the air for a few seconds… or descend down at lightning fast speeds. But don’t be fooled by these abilities, Wizard can still scrap with the best of them. It just happens that they can surround themselves with lightning, flame, and big heavy rocks too.
- Robot is the classic grappler tank archetype, able to armor up to power through attacks… and grab you to deliver some really heavy, painful hits. But, in the style of the game, they have more tools than just that. While slow, they can call down an orbital laser at will… and don’t mistake slow for unmoving, because when they do catch you, it’ll hurt.
The cast is nice, each one having fun gameplay and a variety of options, but there are only 4 of them… which is why I mentioned “official” characters. The game has steam workshop support, for everything from custom colors and stages to entirely new characters. A lot of them, actually. The quality can vary, of course, but the community is really talented. Honestly, I think you should give Y.O.M.I. Hustle a shot. It’s a great game, and I get the feeling that I’ll be playing it for a long time to come.