Fighters Unleashed

I have a soft spot for small studios that wear their inspirations openly, and Volens Nolens Games does exactly that with this side-scrolling brawler. The whole thing reads like a love letter to the coin-op brawlers of the late 80s and early 90s - think Double Dragon DNA crossed with some Final Fight stage structure - retooled with a modern visual coat and a hybrid system that blends scrolling beat-em-up sections with occasional one-vs-one moments. That mixture is the most interesting design choice here, even if it does not always land cleanly. You pick one of two playable characters - Alexia or Charlie - each carrying special abilities and a modest but functional combo vocabulary. The enemy roster cycles through zombies, gang members, military units, ninjas, and ruthless mobsters across a handful of levels, each capped by a boss that demands at least a rough read of their pattern before you can progress. There are also motorcycle sequences tucked in, which break up the ground-level brawling and give the pacing a slight arcade-compilation feel. The skill progression is light, but it is there - both characters earn experience as they go, nudging them toward a slightly more capable version of themselves by the back half of the game. Here is where the honesty part matters: this is a short game, and a mixed one by community standards. Steam reviews sit around 61 percent positive across roughly 100 reviewers, and the criticism points toward a familiar set of small-budget friction points. Key remapping is absent, which means keyboard players will fight the control scheme as hard as they fight the enemy sprites. There is no local co-op, something players have specifically asked for given how naturally the format invites a second person on the couch. The combat loop is functional and occasionally satisfying when combos connect and the screen fills up, but anyone expecting the depth of a polished modern brawler like Streets of Rage 4 will find this notably leaner. What you get instead is something closer to a weekend project grown into a full release - unpretentious, genre-faithful, and priced accordingly. For the right kind of player - someone who grew up with these games or wants a low-friction throwback session under two hours - Fighters Unleashed does its job without overstating itself. It is not trying to reinvent the brawler; it is trying to recreate a feeling. Whether that feeling justifies the time depends almost entirely on how forgiving you are toward rough controls and shallow enemy variety. I find something quietly admirable in small teams swinging for a genre they love, even when the seams show. Kai, Scout Team

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