MerFight
- February 12, 2024
- mattrified
Get on Steam"MerFight" is a 2.5D fantasy fighting game featuring 12 sea life-inspired characters, such as angler fish and sharks. It offers various modes, including local versus, online play with rollback netcode, tutorials, training mode, arcade mode, and combo challenges. The game aims to be flexible, engaging, and approachable for both veterans and newcomers to the genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Merfight features a unique and engaging combat system with innovative mechanics like pop cancelling and meter management, allowing for creative gameplay and combos.
- The game offers a variety of modes including arcade, story, and training, providing a rich experience for both new and veteran players.
- Each character is distinct and well-designed, contributing to a fun and charming atmosphere that appeals to fans of fighting games.
- The graphics and presentation are somewhat outdated, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- The AI in offline modes is not very challenging, which can limit the single-player experience.
- The music does not match the fighting tone and can be off-putting, leading some players to turn it down during gameplay.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Merfight" is characterized by its unique meter mechanics and a focus on universal systems, making it accessible for players to experiment with different characters. While the gauge management is strict and can slow down the pace, the game offers robust tutorials and training features, allowing for creative character quirks and competitive mechanics. Overall, despite being in early access, the gameplay is well-received for its depth and potential, though it may require some polishing in other areas.
“The big thing gameplay-wise that sets Merfight apart from other fighting games is its meter mechanics.”
“In general, the game is focused on universal systems over character-specific mechanics, so it's not too tricky to play around with different characters.”
“Every single character feels unique, the game has a very unique mechanic (collecting bubbles for meter), the tutorial is robust, and the training is full of features.”
“The gauges management is pretty strict, so the gameplay is not super fast, but still on the fast side.”
“Needs a lot of polish in everything other than the gameplay.”
“A fun indie fighting game concept, even if it's difficult for me to master the mechanics.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed feedback, with some users noting that while the 3D character models don't quite match the quality of their 2D artwork, they are still satisfactory. There are mentions of the graphics feeling outdated, yet others appreciate the nostalgic "2003" aesthetic. Overall, recent graphical upgrades have been positively highlighted, enhancing the visual experience.
“The new balance patches feel great, and the graphical upgrades look wonderful.”
“Part of me wishes the characters looked as good in-game as they do in their 2D artworks, but they look fine enough in 3D.”
“Counter con - the '2003' aesthetic is kinda nice, not gonna lie.”
“Con - the graphics are outdated.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game features individual story modes for each character, allowing players to experience the narrative from multiple perspectives, which adds depth to the gameplay. However, the current story content is limited, with potential for expansion in future updates. Overall, the game is well-rounded with various modes, including arcade and training, enhancing the overall experience.
“Each base game character has their own story mode where they get to be the main character and face off against each other character, so everyone is involved.”
“The game is very feature complete with a story mode giving every character's perspective on events, which is pretty cool, along with arcade mode and combo trial mode with 20 combos per character.”
“Downside is the current lack of story for them, but that may be rectified in the future.”
“The game is very feature complete with a story mode giving every character's perspective on events, which is pretty cool.”
“With story mode on the way, a solid tutorial, training mode, character trials, and rollback netcode, Merfight is aiming to hit all the right marks.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever aquatic theme and original characters, blending humor seamlessly with engaging gameplay. Reviewers highlight its beauty and depth, noting that the humor enhances the overall experience.
“It's like a mashup of the best stuff from several fighting games, rolled into a clever aquatic theme with totally original characters and plenty of humor.”
“The game is beautiful, funny, runs well, and has depth.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music has received criticism from users, with some considering it a notable negative aspect of the game, overshadowing the otherwise strong visuals.
“My only negative outside of the visuals is the music.”
