Idol Showdown sees you throwing animals, running folks over with trucks, and hopping into a shopping cart to wreck your opponents in its wild one-on-one fights.
This game is a fan-made title about Hololive Vtubers, something I know absolutely nothing about. That said, not knowing didn’t hurt my ability to enjoy the game, as I tend to enjoy ridiculous fighting games. This one definitely has that feel to it. While I feel someone who knows these characters probably has a better idea on why they should appreciate seeing a character hop into a shopping cart for an attack, that doesn’t make it any less funny for me. Many of the characters have these wacky attacks and assists that create all kinds of combo opportunities and situations, making for some silly, but also impressive, battles.
Things are a bit unbalanced, but given the quirky nature of the game, that feels appropriate. The varied nature of the attacks, as well as the humor behind many of them, makes this feel like a fighter I’m not supposed to take seriously. It feels more that it’s designed to be filled with some inside jokes that are still fun and funny for someone who doesn’t know much about what’s going on. It’s highly enjoyable just to see what you and your opponent can do, so even when you lose, it’s hard to deny you had a good time. Plus, the game has some neat additions you can get that allow for auto blocking when not attacking, preserving meter between fights, and all kinds of small additions that make it welcoming for newcomers or that alter how it plays.
Idol Showdown is highly enjoyable as a light fighter to pick up to goof off with some friends. Its lighthearted nature adds a lot of fun to discovering what everyone can do and how the moves interact, the customization options give it some neat flexibility, and the pixel art is wonderful.
Idol Showdown is available now for free on Steam.
