Multiplayer has always been a significant part of fighting games, dating all the way back to the days of the arcade. So, when we first heard about Poly Fighter, a new single-player fighting game from the Canadian studio HeartLoop Games, it's safe to say we were a little intrigued.
Whereas most indie fighting games would typically go down the safer route of designing their game first and foremost for local co-op or online play, Poly Fighter seems to be taking an entirely different approach — one that seems to prioritize a single-player experience above all else.
At its core, the game, which is being described by its developer as a "single-player roguelike fighting game" sees players competing in one-on-one single-player battles across a map, with each victory against an opponent allowing them to change and adapt their character's moveset by learning new techniques.
This means that no matter what character you pick you can essentially build them into the kind of fighter you want to be, whether that be "a zoner, a grappler, or a rushdown menace" — with the game encouraging players to find powerful (and in some cases "broken") builds to best the opposition.
The game was first unveiled early last month, on September 2nd, with a reveal trailer, and currently has an active playtest on Steam that you can request to join. With that in mind, we wanted to put a few quick questions to Osama Dorias, the creative director of the project, to find out more about HeartLoop, and why the team decided to take this slightly left-field approach with its debut title.
Talking about the makeup of the studio, Dorias told me via email, "We’re a small but passionate team at Heartloop. We currently have a core team of 4, with 4 contractors who joined recently. While Poly Fighter is our first project together under this banner, several of us have worked on combat-focused games before. In my case, the closest comparison would be my time at Ubisoft, where I worked on For Honor."
"Meanwhile, some of the other games we worked on include Hogwart's Legacy, Bloodroots, Gotham Knights, Dungeon Hunter 3-6 + Dungeon Hunter Champions, Guild of Ascension, Disney Dreamlight Valley, etc... at studios like Ubisoft, Warner Brothers, Gameloft, Amazon, and a bunch of smaller places."
According to Dorias, his love of the fighting game genre dates all the way back to being 12 years old and putting quarters into Street Fighter II: World Warrior at the arcade, and he has stuck with it ever since then, being a fan of classics of the 90s and early 2000s, such as "Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Rival Schools/Project Justice, the King of Fighters series, and the Marvel vs. Capcom games." These games have all had an impact on the actual fighting mechanics found within the battles, but when it came to the actual structure of the game, he and his team wanted to do something different, noticing that multiplayer-focused fighting games "are already very well represented".
"What excited us was the idea of giving players maximum agency and expression," said Dorias. "Creating wild, overpowered builds that feel fun and broken in the best way. That kind of freedom tends to shine in single-player, since being on the receiving end of a “broken build” isn’t quite as enjoyable in a competitive multiplayer environment where balance is key.
He continued, "The hardest thing so far has been figuring out how much fighting game skills should matter vs roguelike synergies. I don't think there's a wrong answer here, but we're holding playtests specifically to see what the community is into."
Here are some of the key features currently listed on Steam:
- Single-player one-on-one matches.
- Roguelike progression where every win lets you add new moves or replace old ones.
- Approachable controls that anyone can pick up and thrive with!
- 40+ unlockable characters.
At the moment, sadly there's no information on when the game will be releasing in full, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on it, and will update you should we hear any news in the future.