Arcade brawlers have been a rather neglected genre recently, however, developer Household Games are looking to give it a shot of 90’s fueled adrenaline with Way of the Passive Fist. This love letter to games like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and Double Dragon features an over the top 90’s art style and unique fighting system.
Instead of simply hitting the punch button rapidly the leader character, known as The Wanderer, focuses more on blocking and parrying opponents moves. This is to create more calculated combat that rewards good timing and nuance.
The Wanderer is able to do this thanks to an augmented arm that is actually hidden away under his robe during most of the fights. In order to use this powerful finisher, players must gather energy from absorbing opponents strikes. This effectively makes blocking essential to the gameplay, as the arm can not only deal significant damage to others but also break sections of the environment open for collectibles.
Household Games have also put heavy emphasis on this games’ accessibility to genre veterans and new players alike. Founder and Director of Household Games Jason Canam explained that they have actually teamed up with speedrunner Clint “Halfcoordinated” Lexa who actually plays titles like Transformers: Devastation with one hand. Way of the Passive Fist will be available to try at this year’s PlayStation Experience and is set to release sometime on PS4 in 2017.
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