One Strike

About

One Strike is a single player and multiplayer casual fighting game with historical and violence themes. It was developed by Retro Reactor and was released on November 3, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

Duel fearsome foes in this fast and thrilling fighting game. But be careful! Don't enter a fight recklessly. Every fight means ictory or death, there is no middle ground. Inspired by Akira Kurosawa movie 7 Samurais, One Strike tries to recreate the real duels between oriental warriors, where a win means to keep you life and grow your status as a legend.

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86%Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews

music15 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Unique one-hit kill fighting mechanic that creates intense and strategic gameplay.
Distinctive characters with varied fighting styles and different strengths and weaknesses.
Excellent retro-style pixel art graphics and an outstanding, fitting soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere.

Balance issues with some characters being overpowered, especially with DLC characters breaking the game's fairness.
Limited game modes and content make single-player and overall replayability low without multiplayer.
Technical shortcomings such as poor controller support, lack of customizable controls, and minor bugs reduce overall polish.

music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
46%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, fast-paced chiptune style that perfectly complements the medieval fantasy and retro pixel art themes, enhancing the hype and tension of gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack memorable, fitting, and a standout feature that greatly adds to the game's charm and replayability, though a few note minor issues like music restarting unexpectedly. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the best aspects of the game, likened to classic fighting game tunes and highly enjoyable.
- “I cannot stress enough how important the soundtrack is to this game; it is absolutely amazing and one of the best I have heard in a long time.”
- “The music brings a lot of hype and tension to the game, feels very distinct from stage to stage, and just feeds into the overall theming of medieval fantasy Japan.”
- “Simple, polished, and fun game with an amazing soundtrack that really needs more love.”
- “Rather disappointing given the high quality of the music and gameplay otherwise.”
- “The graphics and the music are not my thing, but the animations are fine.”
- “Sometimes the music would start over when I chose a specific game mode which was unexpected as I thought it would carry on.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
47%
10%
The game's graphics are predominantly retro pixel art, evoking classic SNES-era fighting games with charming, detailed animations and backgrounds that suit its style. While many appreciate the nostalgic, well-executed pixel visuals and distinct environments, some criticize the artwork for being low-quality, inconsistent, or overly simplistic, and note the lack of modern graphics options. Overall, the graphics fit the game's theme and gameplay, though they may not appeal to those expecting high-definition or more detailed art styles.
- “The graphics are lovely to look at, reminding of the old SNES fighting games and having tons of charm, if you are into it, of course.”
- “You actually see that the 8 bit was a design choice and the developers have the skills to deliver highly detailed graphics.”
- “And the pixel graphics are amazing as well as the little details on the screen like moving grass and more.”
- “The artwork here is terrible, it's a blend of old retro pixel art used as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics, with interstitial screens featuring some of the most amateurish 'baby's first Wacom tablet' style drawings I've ever hurt my eyes on.”
- “It's unclear if this is due to lack of budget to arrange someone who can do graphics properly, or lack of talent. Regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low as a result of these decisions.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The gameplay of One Strike features a unique and tense one-hit-kill mechanic that adds depth and strategy to its simple, retro-style fighting system. Each character plays distinctly, requiring mastery and offering varied playstyles, while the fast-paced matches create a highly engaging and addictive experience. Despite some controls feeling a bit unusual, the solid mechanics and balanced difficulty modes make it fun, especially for fans of methodical, timing-based fighters.
- “It somehow makes it quite fun to play with the one strike mechanic, and each and every character feels different, to the point you will actually have to learn to play the game once again to master the character properly.”
- “The one-hit mechanic is super cool given the samurai setting, very adequate, you feel the tension in each match, even they being so short (less than 10 seconds many times).”
- “Solid mechanics, a good mix of different characters, some depth to explore and an interesting premise and/or concept to make it stand out.”
- “The game mechanics are too shallow.”
- “There are no 'supports' or tag-in mechanics; the only difference to arcade is that each character has exactly one life, and once taken out, cannot be played anymore.”
- “The game mechanics in terms of keyboard controls are a little strange.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game features a minimal or no story, focusing instead on straightforward old-school gameplay centered around a Japanese warrior tournament. While the narrative is simple, it provides enough context to give players a basic role and setting. Overall, the story is not a main component but serves as a light backdrop.
- “In the story, we explore various characters of medieval Japan with the intention of becoming the best warrior.”
- “No story, no online component, nothing.”
- “Story/gameplay: no story, but I can tell this is just a simple old school idea of a Japanese warriors tournament.”
- “A simple background story that gives you enough to have a role.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers strong replayability through multiple modes and six distinct characters, each with unique weapons and skills that support varied play styles. This diversity encourages players to experiment and replay the game for different experiences.
- “The different modes add a needed level of replayability.”
- “Character selection is good; there are six characters to choose from, each with their own weapon and skills, allowing for different play styles when facing opponents, which adds a lot of replay value.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates good stability with minimal bugs and glitches, especially impressive for a 2D pixelated title. Its reliable performance supports co-op play smoothly, contributing to a generally stable experience.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game’s single-player mode is not appealing to some users, though the arcade mode offers a more enjoyable, competitive experience without the need for extensive repetition.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is lively and engaging, often sparking playful and competitive banter among players. Its lighthearted tone encourages imaginative and exaggerated banter, adding to the fun and social experience.
- “Whenever I play this game with others, we're all laughing and getting super competitive, talking like old warriors such as 'It'll take you years before you can challenge me!' or 'Did you not know that the reason I won was because I can hear the wing beat of a butterfly 4 years away?'”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its tense and engaging nature, created by the unique strike-and-end mechanics that add excitement and depth to the experience.