The Skeletons Are Fighting

The Skeletons Are Fighting is a traditional 2.5D fighting game about skeletons dueling from across the ages. Fight as a stoic ship captain from the 1800s or as a fitness obsessed workaholic from the 20th century or as one of the other, very deceased, skeletons from the 6 character roster. If you want to mix it up a little bit or none of the default movesets fit your style, choose a different Specialty to completely switch up how the characters play. Accounting for each Specialty, that’s 18 different movesets and archetypes at your disposal!

Characters

Yor - A swashbuckling ship captain from old. He uses his long sword to control the midrange, and has a well-rounded arsenal of specials for any situation.Fredrick - A sauvé monster hunter from an unknown era. He uses a seemingly infinite amount of knives (both for throwing and stabbing) to keep opponents at bay.Wreath - A mysterious and shy nature lover who’s forever timeless. They use their long spear-tipped scythe to space out the opponent and tricky movement options to keep them guessing.Gigante - An imposing, not so gentle giant from the cold era. She uses her long limbs and armored moves to close the gap, and impose threatening offense with powerful throws.Wes - A wild and eclectic fitness fanatic from the modern era. He excels in all ranges with quick punches and kicks, and a variety of specials to both control space and maintain offense.Albert - A bad to the bone boxer. They use their quick speed and cheap tricks to rush down and mix up their opponents.

Specialties

A Specialty is the “default” moveset. Not much to say as it’s how your character will play if you just mash through the menus.B Specialty is the “alternate” moveset. This Specialty will bring a whole new playstyle and archetype to the character. Nothing is off limits. Move properties will change, they might have more or less specials, it’s basically a whole new character!C Specialty is the “advanced” moveset. This Specialty will come with new mechanics, new animations, and generally add more complexity to the character.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a nice mix of slower neutral with eccentric mechanics and moves that take inspiration from anime/hyper fighters. So while the game is a grounded, footsies-based fighter, there are plenty of exciting options to mix the pace of the match at your disposal.The game is a 5 button fighter: Light, Medium, Heavy, Universal, Dash (L, M, H, U, D)Light, Medium, Heavy are your standard set of normals in ascending strength. They can be canceled/chained together in ascending order (L > M > H). Most normals can also be canceled into Specials and Supers.Universal is for system mechanics and moves, and covers a large set of options. Throws, Dodges, Parries, Guard Cancels, and Supers are all performed with the U button.Dash is for movement related actions such as Forward Dash, Back Dash, Run, and Super Jump. Most characters can perform a Run from Forward Dashes by holding forward during said dash. All characters can perform a Super Jump by inputting a jump during a Forward Dash.

Modes

Campaign Mode - A singleplayer mode where you fight through Death's trials in order to free the skeletons from Death's control.Arcade Modes - Select from one of several Arcade style modes. Classic is your standard arcade experience. Fight through the rest of the cast, and face a final boss to reach the end credits. Survival is a never ending series of fights against progressively harder enemies. Time is a race to defeat as many opponents as possible in 5 minutes. Combo Trials provide a series of premade combos to complete for every character and their specialties.Versus Mode - The standard local 1v1 versus. Fight another person or against a CPU.Online Mode - Face opponents online with Rollback Netcode. Choose between Quick Match or Player Lobbies.Training Mode - Practice in a self-paced environment. Feature complete with hitbox viewing, frame data (w/ framemeter), frame advantage, input viewer, record/play, reversal settings, etc.

Mechanics

Universal Overhead - A quick leap attack that must be blocked standing.High Dodge - An evasive action that avoids high hitting attacks.Low Dodge - An evasive action that avoids low hitting attacks.Air Dodge - An evasive air action that avoids incoming attacks.Parry - Performed when dodging right before an attack connects. Allows you to act immediately and go for a counterattack.Guard Cancel - Costs 25% meter.  An attack that can be performed out of blockstun. Useful for interrupting the opponents offense.EX Specials - Costs 25% meter. An enhanced special. Some can be canceled into from regular specials. Often offer speed, damage, combo extensions, or unique movement options.Supers - Costs 50%. A powerful attack that deals high damage and has quick start up. Often used as a combo ender or combo extender.

Quick Features

6 Playable Skeletons (w/ 3 Specialties per Character, 18 Total Movesets)6 StagesCampaign Arcade ModesOnline Multiplayer (Rollback Netcode)Local Versus Training Mode