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Idol Showdown

Made by Hololive fans, for Hololive fans. Idol Showdown is the definitive fan-made Hololive fighting game experience, powered by rollback netcode. Engage in exciting duels as your favorite hololive talent and prove once and for all who the strongest idol is using the game’s easy-to-learn controls.
Idol Showdown Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
stability, optimization
94% User Score Based on 3,769 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Idol Showdown Game Cover

About

Idol Showdown is a single player and multiplayer arcade fighting game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Besto Game Team and was released on May 5, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Idol Showdown is the definitive fan-made hololive fighting game experience, powered by rollback netcode. Engage in exciting duels as your favorite H=hololive talent and prove once and for all who the strongest idol is using the game’s easy-to-learn controls. Pick up on this game’s easy-to-learn control scheme in no time to get straight into playing. Even hololive fans who are inexperienced with t…

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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,769 reviews
gameplay97 positive mentions
stability19 negative mentions

  • gameplay
    250 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this fighting game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its accessibility and depth, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and veterans. While some players appreciate the smooth mechanics and unique character abilities, others criticize the tutorial's lack of clarity, control issues, and the absence of defensive mechanics. Overall, it is seen as a solid, free-to-play title with potential for improvement, particularly in balancing and tutorial guidance.

    • “The gameplay is smooth, the art is crisp, the references are on point, and somehow on top of it all, it's just a really good fighting game!”
    • “A masterpiece of fighting game design with intuitive controls, deep gameplay, and more single-player content than most AAA releases!”
    • “The mechanics are simple yet the combos that you can do in this game are so fun and expansive.”
    • “The tutorial is bad and doesn't explain the mechanics well and just skips what part you're on if you don't do it, so you don't know if you did it or not. The controls are also bad, and it took way too long for them to finally put controller support in for a fighting game. What genius didn't think about that? The game should have come out for controller only; no real fighting game player of any genre plays with a keyboard.”
    • “The gameplay feels very clunky and certain inputs have weird buffer windows on keyboard. If you had a problem with BBCF's input buffer system, this will likely be similar.”
    • “Absolutely amazing characters, horrible balancing and gameplay.”
  • music
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and well-crafted soundtrack, featuring remixed versions of popular Hololive songs that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the sound design, with many noting the fun and immersive atmosphere created by the music and sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal, especially for fans of Hololive.

    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, and it's pretty easy to figure out even as someone who doesn't know much about fighting games!”
    • “The music is fantastic, and I sat in practice mode and the character select screen longer than I want to admit just to listen to the jams.”
    • “From the distinctive fighting styles of each idol to the vibrant visuals and energetic soundtrack, every aspect of the game feels crafted with care and reverence for its source material.”
    • “Remarkable visuals and music, especially since it's your first game, but the mechanics need improvement.”
    • “And also, sometimes, music is glitching out to play the menu theme or turns off completely.”
    • “It didn't deserve having Guilty Gear Strive-tier music; later I've seen it's deserved.”
  • humor
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both fun and entertaining, often highlighting the quirky character designs and amusing moves. Many reviews mention the clever references and memes that add to the overall charm, making it a delightful experience, especially when played with friends. Overall, the game is seen as a humorous and enjoyable fighting experience, appealing to fans of both the genre and the associated cultural references.

    • “The game itself has a great presentation and playing it with a friend is funny.”
    • “There are some genuinely funny and clever things thrown into the game that show this is clearly a project of love made by passionate people who know what they're doing.”
    • “Each character is relatively unique with some references and funny moves but without making the game ridiculous, and the 4 locked characters & frequent updates gives me hope it'll be supported for the foreseeable future.”
  • graphics
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its unique pixel art style, charming animations, and vibrant visuals that effectively capture the essence of the characters. While some players appreciate the nostalgic retro aesthetic and smooth animations, others criticize the simplistic graphics and performance issues, suggesting that the game could benefit from better optimization and more detailed settings. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received, especially considering the game's free-to-play nature, but opinions vary on their appeal and execution.

    • “The graphics are nice, pixelated-ish, fun to look at with some cute sprites for when your character loses a round or the actual moves they do and so on.”
    • “From the distinctive fighting styles of each idol to the vibrant visuals and energetic soundtrack, every aspect of the game feels crafted with care and reverence for its source material.”
    • “The art style is really charming and cute, the music is beautiful, the stages are wonderful, and the animation and movements are brilliant.”
    • “This features really godawful pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
    • “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
    • “The absolute lowest the game can go to in the graphics department is 1280 x 720, and I can't help but feel like it's poorly optimized in that department as well.”
  • story
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story mode, referred to as "Virtual Frontier," has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate its unique roguelike mechanics and engaging content featuring beloved characters, others feel it lacks depth and could benefit from more development. Many users express a desire for additional story elements and modes, indicating that while the current narrative is enjoyable, it could be expanded to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the story aspect is seen as a highlight for some, but there is a consensus that improvements and more content would elevate it further.

    • “Not gonna lie, this game eclipses so many other fighters not only in simple execution but in the massive amount of story mode content so often ignored by other fighting games. Feels great to play 10/10.”
    • “This game is really fun, and I enjoy its simple combo system and its single-player story mode.”
    • “There is also a single-player roguelike story mode that allows you to take branching paths and attempt to get as far in as possible on one health pool across back-to-back fights, all the while unlocking items to power you up and running across multiple choice pitfalls, buffs, and double-edged swords.”
    • “I just wish the story mode was a bit more played out.”
    • “Lacks more stuff to do like a story mode of some sorts.”
    • “Story seemed okay too; I just couldn't get into it.”
  • stability
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has improved since its buggy launch, with frequent patches addressing many issues; however, players still report ongoing glitches and bugs, particularly in online play and certain game modes. While some users enjoy the gameplay despite these problems, others find the experience marred by unresponsive mechanics and persistent technical issues. Overall, the game shows promise but remains a work in progress with notable stability concerns.

    • “It runs great; now it's the best game ever.”
    • “The game runs great. It has really fun characters to play, but there are really few. Somehow, it has more single-player content than SFV at launch and a better netcode. Plus, it's also free.”
    • “The matchmaking is rudimentary, the input reader is horrendously coded, and the game was/is terribly buggy (though patches have been frequent).”
    • “Idol Showdown is one of the best anime fighters that has come out in a while, but it also has some glaring problems; the online for starters is pretty buggy, and sometimes downright unplayable, like not being able to connect to a player or the game just crashing on you for trying to rematch someone.”
    • “This has to be the most unresponsive and buggy fighting game I've ever had the misfortune of playing.”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting severe performance issues, including lag, stuttering, and crashes, even on capable hardware. Many users express frustration over the lack of customizable settings and resolution options, which exacerbate the performance problems. While some updates have improved performance, a consensus remains that further optimization is necessary for a smoother gaming experience.

    • “I changed my review, as my only complaint being the performance was fixed in the latest update. The game is probably one of the best Hololive fangames, with great animations, great music, full of charm and references. The gameplay is pretty good; for a Hololive fan, it's a great time, and for non-fans, it could be a great starting point, as on its own, it's a great game.”
    • “Really well designed and very fun. Matchmaking can be optimized, but it does say it's in beta.”
    • “My only issue with it is that my potato PC can't keep up, and some players have complaints about optimization in some stages. I suspect it has something to do with the match going on since I noticed that when I start a stage, it's smooth, then gradually slows down to a slog.”
    • “Can't customize keybinds, no system settings, and the game is terribly optimized: despite the system requirements being lower than my PC's settings, the game is slow as hell.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized and has a balancing issue with the AI.”
    • “Poorly optimized game, stuttering constantly, crashing consistently, and feels rough honestly.”
  • replayability
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is generally viewed as promising, particularly due to its engaging gameplay and the potential for future updates that could introduce more playable characters and modes. However, some players find the lack of options for restarting matches and the need for an improved arcade mode to be limiting factors. The inclusion of a virtual frontier mode adds variety, appealing to those who prefer different gameplay experiences beyond traditional fighting.

    • “Fighting game with an easy to learn, but fun gameplay loop, pretty good replayability even if you like PvE instead of PvP.”
    • “The virtual frontier mode, which is basically Slay the Spire but a fighting game instead of a card game, makes it replayable for people who don't just want to spend hours in the lab.”
    • “I feel like arcade mode could benefit from an overhaul or rework, like a randomized character roster for each fight instead of a preset, and a difficulty option to make the arcade mode fresh and replayable.”
    • “The fact that you can't even restart the match or have a faster continue option makes replay value more annoying.”
    • “I feel like arcade mode could benefit from an overhaul or rework, like a randomized character roster for each fight instead of a preset, and a difficulty option to make the arcade mode fresh and replayable, instead of opting out for the story mode which takes a long time to finish and introduces power-up mechanics that some players might not prefer.”
    • “If this game will be updated in the future (please let this be the case) it will need more stages, more songs for the soundtrack, and more playable characters.”
  • monetization
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game is praised for being straightforward and free of microtransactions, as it is a fan-made project that does not allow developers to profit. Players appreciate the absence of a battle pass or additional costs, with future content also promised to remain free. Overall, the approach is seen as a commitment to creating a genuine gaming experience rather than a cash grab.

    • “No BS monetization.”
    • “Future content in development (also without microtransactions); no season pass required.”
    • “Not free with microtransactions.”
    • “It's free and has no microtransactions (because the devs are not allowed to earn money from fan-made games).”
    • “Future content in development (also without microtransactions) no season pass required.”
  • character development
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is marked by unique and fun character designs that draw inspiration from early 2000s fighting games, offering a nostalgic aesthetic. While some players appreciate the creativity and accessibility of the character archetypes, others criticize the designs and themes as lacking depth or appeal, particularly for those unfamiliar with the vtuber culture. Overall, the game balances engaging combat mechanics with a distinctive visual style, though opinions on the character presentation vary widely.

    • “Fun game with great character designs and combat skills.”
    • “Along with the usual archetypes of brawler, shoto-like, grappler, and zoner, Idol Showdown brings to the table unique character designs that are easily accessible due to the simplistic controls of the game.”
    • “Good online, fun character design, and a lot to explore.”
    • “All of the character designs and voices are stupid as they come.”
    • “From the point of presentation, the game stays close to early 2000s fighting games such as King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match with the 16-bit character design, which is rather simple compared to other modern fighting game titles.”
    • “Better than a lot of high-budget fighting games if you can get past the character designs and the theme.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally enjoy the grinding aspect of the game, finding it engaging and rewarding, particularly in modes like the virtual frontier. However, some express that the time commitment required for grinding can be overwhelming, suggesting it may demand more time than they can realistically invest.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “And even grinding.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a range of feelings, from playful teasing to warmth and connection, particularly through its charming references to the Hololive universe. Players appreciate the wholesome interactions and the joy of seeing diverse communities engage with the game, creating a sense of shared experience and camaraderie.

    • “With unique items specific to this mode (emotional support plastic ball my go-to), adorable references to the entire Hololive roster and world.”
    • “Seeing the FGC get into it has been wonderful, and even witnessing a few of them fall into the Hololive rabbit hole has been both hilarious and wholesome.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its stunning art and animations that effectively convey character personalities, complemented by a beautifully crafted soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While the character portraits fit the fighting game theme, some players suggest incorporating multiple artists for more diverse representation of their favorite characters. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as engaging and well-executed.

    • “Aside from the gameplay, the art is absolutely amazing. The animations do a fantastic job of capturing the girls' personalities and are just lovely to watch. The music and sounds add to the already fun atmosphere; it's just a well-made game by all accounts.”
    • “Beautifully written soundtrack that allows you to feel the Hololive atmosphere ♡”
    • “The portraits represent the characters in a fighting game atmosphere well.”
    • “The portraits represent the characters in a fighting game atmosphere well, but I feel there should be multiple artists brought in so that players can choose alternate portraits to represent their favorite characters.”
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6h Median play time
503h Average play time
4-2000h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Idol Showdown is a arcade fighting game with fantasy theme.

Idol Showdown is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 503 hours playing Idol Showdown.

Idol Showdown was released on May 5, 2023.

Idol Showdown was developed by Besto Game Team.

Idol Showdown has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Idol Showdown is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include DNF Duel, Them's Fightin' Herds, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, Rivals 2, Melty Blood: Type Lumina and others.