Punch Planet
- November 8, 2017
- Sector-K Games
Get on Steam"Punch Planet" is a fast-paced, sci-fi fighting game where players engage in combat using a variety of unique characters and abilities. With a focus on both local and online multiplayer, players can battle it out in various arenas, utilizing movement, attacks, and special abilities to claim victory. The game also features a story mode and training options for players to hone their skills.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Punch Planet features responsive controls and a unique time cancel mechanic that encourages creativity in combos and gameplay.
- The game has a visually appealing art style and a great soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience.
- It offers excellent rollback netcode, making online play smooth and enjoyable, even with a small player base.
- The game has been in early access for a long time, leading to concerns about its future and the lack of a full release.
- Currently, the player base is small, making online matchmaking difficult and limiting the multiplayer experience.
- While the mechanics are solid, the game lacks single-player content and features, such as a story mode or more characters.
- gameplay133 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this fighting game is highly praised for its depth and intuitive mechanics, drawing inspiration from classic titles like Street Fighter IV and Third Strike. Players appreciate the smooth controls, creative combo systems, and unique features such as the time cancel mechanic, which enhances offensive strategies while maintaining accessibility for newcomers. Despite some minor performance issues on certain platforms, the overall experience is described as fun, engaging, and rewarding for both casual and seasoned players.
“A universal cancel mechanic allows for incredible creativity in combos, mixups, and more.”
“The gameplay is extremely deep and varied due to the combo system.”
“With buttery smooth online play, great character designs, good graphics, and fun system mechanics reminiscent of the best of SF4 and 3rd Strike, this game has a bright future ahead of it.”
“Was very excited to play this on Steam Deck; unfortunately, gameplay performs in a wonky slow-motion style which pains me greatly.”
“Aesthetics may be nice, but the entire depth of the combat system comes purely out of neutral mechanics, and I personally found them too clunky to even bother playing.”
“Upon gameplay, well, the gravity is much higher, and only heavy hits and certain specials actually stun long enough for you to complete a ground-to-air combo or an air-to-ground combo.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received praise for their unique and eye-catching art style, which combines vibrant, minimalistic sci-fi aesthetics with high-quality 2D visuals that resemble animated sprites. Many players appreciate the character designs and fluid animations, while the overall presentation is often described as colorful and reminiscent of classic animated series. However, some users find the visuals unappealing, indicating that the aesthetic may not resonate with everyone.
“With buttery smooth online play, great character designs, good graphics, and fun system mechanics reminiscent of the best of SF4 and 3rd Strike, this game has a bright future ahead of it.”
“A great 2D fighting game with good rollback netcode, the cell-shaded graphics are really impressive, it looks like high-quality 2D sprites and the gameplay is really interesting.”
“The art style is very pleasant to the eye and the music gives a nice sci-fi/retro vibe.”
“- The game visuals, the character designs, futuristic setting, and soundtrack do not appeal to me.”
“Super low spec is supported (I am able to run this on Intel integrated graphics).”
“The designs of the characters and just the game itself are concise and fitting in the vivid, minimalistic, sci-fi aesthetic.”
- music48 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's music has received widespread acclaim, featuring a fantastic original soundtrack that blends heavy synth, electro elements, and cool guitar work, perfectly complementing its futuristic setting. Reviewers highlight the unique and memorable compositions that enhance the overall atmosphere, with many expressing a desire to purchase the soundtrack. While some found the visuals and music unappealing, the majority praised the audio as top-tier, with standout tracks for each character and stage that leave a lasting impression.
“A fantastic OST rounds out this amazing package full of heavy synth and electro goodness, with some cool guitar work.”
“The game feels great, with incredible music, satisfying sound effects, and stellar voice acting.”
“Audio: 10/10 the soundtrack of this game will be stuck in your head hours after you play it.”
“- The game visuals, the character designs, futuristic setting, and soundtrack do not appeal to me.”
“The soundtrack sounds exactly how you would imagine it would be.”
“You can listen to every song on the official SoundCloud; it's one of the rare cases where you can actually listen to the soundtrack standalone and be entertained.”
- story18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game currently lacks a story mode, which has left many players eager for its future implementation, as they hope it will be well-written and enhance the overall experience. While some players are content with the existing mechanics and online features, they express anticipation for the addition of single-player content, including story and arcade modes, which are expected to be released in future updates. Overall, the community is optimistic about the potential for a compelling narrative once these features are introduced.
“I hope the story is well written and lives up to the genre, but I know that as of right now the character designs, stages, move sets, and score are all pretty much perfect.”
“Story mode, trials, features, and more characters will be added over time.”
“And that's hardly a complaint, because the creators are working to put in all kinds of features: an arcade and story mode, more stages, and the four additional characters I mentioned before.”
“There is no story mode yet, so if you're looking for single player content, that's a no-go.”
“A lot of features are still to be added, like ranked, story, two more characters, frame data, etc.”
“I will install it again when it's finished or at least when it has arcade and/or story mode.”
- character development12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The character development in this indie fighter is highlighted by exceptional character designs and a strong visual aesthetic, which many players find appealing. While some reviewers express concerns about the overall narrative quality, the consensus is that the character designs and mechanics are well-executed, contributing to a promising future for the game.
“Great character design and a killer soundtrack.”
“With buttery smooth online play, great character designs, good graphics, and fun system mechanics reminiscent of the best of SF4 and 3rd Strike, this game has a bright future ahead of it.”
“The game visuals, the character designs, futuristic setting, and soundtrack do not appeal to me.”
“I hope the story is well written and lives up to the genre, but I know that as of right now the character designs, stages, move sets, and score are all pretty much perfect.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players feel that the game's replayability could be significantly enhanced with the addition of a player vs. CPU mode. However, regular quarterly updates help maintain freshness and contribute positively to the overall replay value.
“What would really ramp up the game and make it a bit more replayable is a player vs CPU mode.”
“What would really ramp up the game and make it more replayable is a player vs. CPU mode.”
“Updates are almost quarterly to the game, keeping it fresh and adding to the replay value.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users consistently highlighting the exceptional quality of both the music and overall ambiance, describing them as "top tier."
“The music and atmosphere are top tier.”
