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Update []:
If you're a fan of fighting games and have been looking for something to play as part of Steam Next Fest (June 15th to June 22nd), then you might be interested in hearing that a brand-new demo has just dropped for HeartLoop Games' debut title, Poly Fighter.
The game, which aims to blend the "intensity" of fighting games with "roguelike progression," allowing players to defeat enemies, steal their moves, and build the fighter of their dreams, previously had demos available on the storefront in the past, letting you play "all 3 acts" with "4 fully playable characters (2 starters and 2 unlockable)."
But this fresh update introduces a bunch of cool new tweaks and additions, based on " feedback from playtests, events and previous online demos," meaning even if you've tried out the game in the past, it may be a good time now to dive back in.
Some of the features that have either been overhauled or improved include the map nodes, perks/traits, UI, combat, audio, and AI; there's also a new onboarding zone "to help new players understand the fundamentals and jump into the action more quickly," prior to the team adding a proper tutorial. It's the introduction of one of the game's new bonus stages (first teased at the Canadian Game Awards) that is probably the most exciting change, letting you partake in a minigame in which you have to break barrels that have been thrown in your direction with the movelist you've assembled.
If you fancy giving it a go, you can download it on Steam now.
Original Story []: Multiplayer has always been a significant part of fighting games, dating 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 prioritise 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 Hogwarts 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 released in full, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on it and will update you should we hear any news in the future.