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About

Only One is a single player casual fighting game. It was developed by Ernest Szoka and was released on February 7, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

Grab the sword on the pillar of sacrifice and survive, fight, grow stronger

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87%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,100 reviews
gameplay63 positive mentions
monetization45 negative mentions

  • Simple and addictive gameplay that rewards skill, timing, and positioning
  • Fun and challenging with diverse enemies, bosses, and power-ups
  • Minimal ads and offline play make it a great time killer with retro-style graphics and sound
  • Many important abilities and characters are locked behind a paywall, leading to pay-to-win concerns
  • Controls can be clunky or stick, causing occasional frustration and accidental deaths
  • Progression gets extremely difficult and grindy in later levels without paying, reducing replay value
  • gameplay
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is praised for its simple, engaging, and addictive hack-and-slash mechanics with diverse enemies, satisfying combat, and easy-to-learn controls. While some find it repetitive or slow-paced, many appreciate its accessibility, smooth mechanics, and rewarding upgrade system. Critics note frustrations with paywalls, slow progression, and occasional control issues but overall highlight the game’s fun, challenging, and well-balanced gameplay loop.

    • “The gameplay is varied, the enemies are diverse and despite how frustrating the higher levels get you simply don't feel like letting go.”
    • “Gameplay is awesome gladiator style fighting with upgrades, powers, tons of enemies/bosses, and daily quests!”
    • “As far as gameplay goes, the concept is simple yet highly addictive as you slash and slice through successive waves of various foes while trying to stay solid on a pillar where each fall is deadly.”
    • “Made it to level 40 and uninstalled after 'long shot.' Combat is annoying, controls are cramped, gameplay feels sickening, upgrades and progression are slow, irremovable ads, and microtransactions.”
    • “Gameplay can be a little frustrating, especially being hit by enemies when you're not in range to hit yourself.”
    • “Great game and great combat, but it sucks that half your powers are locked behind a paywall and there is no other way to unlock them through gameplay.”
  • graphics
    68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are consistently praised for their charming retro and pixel art style, which complements the gameplay and adds a nostalgic appeal. While some find the visuals simple or outdated, most agree they suit the game's strategic and challenging nature, proving high-end graphics are not essential for an engaging experience. Overall, the art style is well-received and considered a strong point that enhances the game's unique atmosphere.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, and there are so many powers you can use.”
    • “It's a simple game with an amazing concept and wonderful 8-bit graphics.”
    • “Incredibly unique game which combines retro style graphics with a modern top down hack n slash.”
    • “Although the graphics are bad and the controls can misread and get you killed, the game is fun and a great time killer.”
    • “But the graphics are ehh... let's not talk about that.”
    • “The graphics are not good but it can waste a lot of time and it was a good game; it is not bad and it's not good.”
  • monetization
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's monetization features a balance of purchasable upgrades and optional ads, with many players appreciating the minimal and non-intrusive ads but criticizing high upgrade costs and paywalls for certain abilities. Although some found progression slow or grind-heavy without purchases, the game remains beatable through skill, not pay-to-win, and buying the no-ads option is generally seen as worthwhile. Overall, while the monetization is seen as necessary and fair by some, others feel it could be less aggressive or overpriced.

    • “In-game purchases are big and all but in return there are no pop-up ads and the game is beatable without paying. It is definitely not pay-to-win; you can beat it with enough skill and it relies on skill more than money.”
    • “I bought the version with no ads and I'm not disappointed at all. You have the option to buy more power, but you can just grind and get the upgrades for free if you want.”
    • “If you are deciding whether to buy the no-ads option, it's worth it.”
    • “It is a great game don't get me wrong but the fact is that there are not many upgrades you can do without paying & ads after every restart can be kind of absurd.”
    • “This game has probably the worst combat I've ever seen, the later levels are absolute cancer unless you pay them real money to unlock all the abilities, as if the unskippable ads weren't bad enough.”
    • “Well the game is really good but it gets harder and harder till you can't even defeat your enemies so you'll need to pay microtransactions to get powerful stuff so it's basically pay to win.”
  • music
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music and soundtrack receive widespread praise for their catchy, retro-inspired, and immersive qualities, significantly enhancing the overall experience. Sound effects complement the music well, creating a cozy yet intense atmosphere that players find engaging and memorable. Although some mention repetition or pay-to-win aspects affecting other parts of the game, the music consistently stands out as a highlight.

    • “The music and the hero's sounds make 90% of the game.”
    • “Best music/sound effects of all time.”
    • “The music's very catchy, no time/energy limit.”
    • “Retro graphics add a sure charm but the soundtrack is behind (sound effects are okay on the other hand).”
    • “The gameplay was perfect especially the fighting style and the music but you have to pay real money for almost everything.”
    • “The music and sound effects are just completely awesome as well!”
  • story
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s story is generally seen as minimal or lacking, with many users appreciating its nostalgic and classic tone but wishing for a more developed narrative or story mode involving quests, lore, and character progression. While some find the existing vague premise charming, there is a common desire for expanded storytelling to enhance engagement and add depth. Despite this, the gameplay is praised enough that the limited story does not detract significantly from the overall experience.

    • “Unbelievably great, nostalgic, balanced, and cool story. Shout out to the devs ✌. The lines when you level-up or die are pretty nice. Other than some joystick control issues, this is one of the best simple games I've seen in a while.”
    • “There is weight to the dynamics, and there is a vague premise to the plot that's laughable and fantastic.”
    • “This game has a really nice soundtrack and story; I'd like to try making a fan animation for this one day.”
    • “I feel like it's missing a little something... a storyline maybe or something else?”
    • “However in my opinion it lacks a story or some lore and the purchases in the game aren't that great (except for the character), but the gameplay makes up for the flaws I just mentioned.”
    • “One, you need to have it unlock everything, not pay for half of them, and two, it needs a story mode.”
  • humor
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its humorous elements, including funny death messages, witty pro tips, and meme-based references that add charm and levity. Players appreciate the blend of casual humor with challenging gameplay, though some find certain aspects, like tough enemy waves, frustrating rather than funny. Overall, the humor enhances the retro, arcade-style experience and is a highlight for many.

    • “I also like the fun sense of humor this game has!”
    • “Which even includes some funny easter eggs and unexpected 'star' appearances by well-known classic meme-beasts.”
    • “Love the game and enjoy tossing the enemies off the tower and sometimes falling off myself and seeing the hilarious death lines.”
  • grinding
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and time-consuming, with many powers requiring extensive point accumulation or in-app purchases to unlock. While some players find the grind manageable and part of the challenge, others feel it becomes repetitive and slows down progress significantly. Despite this, the core gameplay remains enjoyable and addictive for many.

    • “Unless you're willing to fork over $3.99, then have fun grinding out only 5-20 points per round for powers that cost around 6000.”
    • “This game was extremely fun, and I had fun grinding enough coins to buy the flame power, but then it gives me some nonsense about needing to buy the ultimate powers in order to use them.”
    • “Boring, grindy, slow... a calculator is more enjoyable.”
  • stability
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally offers a stable experience with smooth animations and enjoyable combat, though some users report occasional glitches such as enemy freezing, joystick bugs that affect control and abilities, and issues with character revival mechanics. While these bugs can be frustrating and impact playability—especially in later stages—the overall stability is acceptable for casual gameplay.

  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is noted as a key strength due to fun gameplay, unlockables, and diverse abilities and characters, though some players find early stages slow and tedious, which can detract from the overall replay value.

    • “Lots of abilities, enemies, and even unique characters give the game a lot of replayability.”
    • “Fun gameplay, unlockables for replayability, and it's challenging!”
    • “It would add a lot more flavor to the world and add a hell of a lot more replay value.”
    • “The only huge downvote for this game is that once you have finished it you can play an infinite mode, but sadly the first 10 minutes is extremely boring as it starts off very slow and easy and then suddenly it gets hard. For this reason, the replay value is very bad as you have to waste 10 minutes.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a charming and unique atmosphere, enhanced by its pixelated style, creating a memorable and visceral experience. It strikes a well-balanced difficulty that remains challenging without becoming frustrating, making it easy to pick up yet engaging over multiple days.

    • “Those pixelated aspects of this gem create a very visceral atmospheric feeling that only those who have played this game can truly know.”
    • “Easy to pick up little battler with a very charming atmosphere.”
    • “It has its own style and atmosphere.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect is impacted by a frustrating control issue where the fighter moves downward uncontrollably when attacking without moving, which may detract from player immersion and enjoyment.

  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on low-end devices without performance issues.

    • “Runs smoothly on low-end devices.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Only One is a casual fighting game.

Only One is available on Phone, iPad, iPhone, Tablet and others.

Only One was released on February 7, 2014.

Only One was developed by Ernest Szoka.

Only One has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Only One for its gameplay but disliked it for its monetization.

Only One is a single player game.

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