Thumps & Blows brings goofy stick figures together to fight each other using towels, monkeys, sunscreen, and other odd weapons.
I’ve been around the internet for quite some time, so I’ve played the old school flash-era stick man games. With that in mind, I was pretty excited to see a fighting game like this at Big Conference. This game clearly takes inspirating from that time, but instead of a quick arcade game or massive open world RPG, it’s an action-filled fighting game with stick men.
You can choose from a cast of different characters, all with different stick figure designs (and often accessories), before starting a one-on-one fight. The different moves these characters use are really silly, unpredictable, and wacky. One guy suddenly has a scooter. Meanwhile, another will hit you with a flyswatter. Sometimes electricity comes out of them. It’s just a wild ride trying to master the combat and predict what your opponent will do next.
Thumps & Blows does seem to have some story about a mayor receiving grants from the Stick City Council, which currently has a bunch of colorful clones of the stick men that need beating up or something. However, this sort of story wasn’t showcased in the demo I was able to play at the event (although it does sound interesting).
Each character does feel unique in it’s abilities and the attacks that they can deliver but they are all primarily black stick man characters. This can be super confusing at first, as, in the moment, it is very easy to lose track of which figure you are and what one you are fighting. It is possible, through the story, that one of you would be a colored version and the other a black and white version, which would fix the entire issue. Sometimes, a stick man in the game does have a flash of color, but for me, that just wasn’t enough at this time.
Thumps & Blows is currently in development, but in the meantime, you can grab a demo or add it to your wishlist on Steam.
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