3, 2, 1, rush!
Rushdown Revolt is an indie 2D Platform Fighter by Vortex Games. The game is inspired by the Super Smash Bros. series, particularly Melee. The game is currently in an alpha-testing phase on Steam.
The team behind the game includes devs from Project M, an open source mod of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and carries many influences in terms of game pace, combo structures, and character archetypes.
Originally conceived as Icons: Combat Arena, the game received a major overhaul after both mixed reception and the behind-the-scenes troubles with the developers.
- Rushdown Revolt can be played with 2-6 players. Every player has a health bar and a spark gauge. The goal like most fighting games is to knock your opponents off the stage by depleting their health, making them knocked further back with every hit.
- The health bar is split into three levels — marked by green, yellow, and red respectively — and a 0 HP state marked by a danger icon. With each level depleted, the player becomes more vulnerable to knockback, and at the zero-mark, even weaker attacks can send them flying for a KO. This differs greatly from the percentage system of games like Smash and Rivals of Aether, instead having much more focused states of vulnerability that make combos and KO moves more consistent through multiple rounds.
- The "rush" mechanic gives players an omni-directional dash both on the ground and midair. "Wave-dashing" can occur when rushing close to the ground, granting a large boost in horizontal momentum.
- The "Spark System" works as the game's central mechanic. Spark can be used to cancel attacks mid-animation and allow for an array of unique follow-ups.
- With spark, grounded normals can be canceled into specials, jumps, and rush.
- On the ground, players can use spark to perform a super jump, sending them an vast distance forward.
- Landing any attack will give the player one use of Spark.
Examples
- Air-Dashing: Spark can be used to perform an air-dash after a successful attack, allowing fighters to either reposition or continue their offense off every hit.
- Alliterative Name: Rushdown Revolt.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: In order to gain a usage of Spark, the game's central mechanic, you have to land a successful attack on an opponent. Spark is also replenished with every hit performed during a combo, incentivizing constant offense and interweaving attacks.
- Double Jump: Characters can perform one extra jump when midair. Using a spark dash can maintain indefinite mobility so long as a fighter can keep landing attacks.
- Expy: Several characters in the game take inspiration from Smash fighters.
- Ashani takes a lot of cues from Captain Falcon. She has a Megaton Punch neutral special, a reliable flip kick for combos, and a variation of the futuristic pilot aesthetic Cap has. She also has a Dash Attack special not unlike Falco's Phantasm ability.
- Kidd is very much a Fox McCloud expy. Superficially he has similar moves like a blaster, directional recovery move, a powerful vertical KO move (ala an up smash), and his own take on a "shine" note . It helps that he too is built around being a Glass Cannon with high execution combos and agility. His fuel tank mechanic has more in common with Peach's float though.
- Zhurong back in Icons was almost a straight-up Moveset Clone of Marth. She shares many of his normals like his jab, all of his grounded tilts, and many of similar functioning aerials. Her specials and passive though all deviate her quite heavily, and the overall mechanical changes in Rushdown Revolt make her very much her own fighter now.
- Raymer is more Downplayed due to a very unique playstyle, but he does have some moves that match Zero Suit Samus. Specifically his aerials (minus back air), his three-hit jab, and his up special.
- Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Every fighter in the game has a unique and exclusive system that informs the rest of their playstyle.
- Weishan can deplete his own health to perform a stronger special attack. These are signified by bright orange flame particles.
- Ashani has a battery gauge beneath her health bar that fills whenever she uses spark techniques. By holding the special button, she can teleport a small distance at the cost of one battery.
- Whenever Zhurong lands an attack, the flames of her sword turn blue, and the next special she performs is empowered.
- Kidd's fuel tank lets him float for a brief period by holding the rush input. This lets him extend his air-time and expands his combo game further.
- Platform Fighter: The game uses several mechanics common to the genre. Particularly health-based knockback, Double Jump, directional specials, and directional influence.
