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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
“Conquer Japan defeating every enemy that stands in your way. Just like in real lIfe, you’ve got only one.”
“One Strike” is a unique 2-D fighter wherein players must strike first in order to defeat their opponent. And, while killing your opponent is as easy as striking them with your blade - or Tetsubō, in some instances - the opposite is equally true; your opponent need only hit you once to kill you and, as the synopsis above so aptly explains it, in this game you’ve only got one life.
Going into “One Strike” I didn’t expect much. In fact, the only reason I bothered to give it a chance was because it was on sale for a dollar in the Nintendo Store. I imagined that it might provide me with something fun to play for a few minutes every now and then whenever I got burnt out from playing “Fighterz” or “Ultimate.” What I didn’t expect was that I would enjoy it as much as I have. With fights being decided in a matter of seconds, it was easy to let myself get caught up playing “just one more” as I tried time and time again to make it through the games’ quick “campaign” mode, wherein my skills were pushed to the limit fighting each of the games seven characters in back-to-back duels - all the while knowing that, if I was hit just once, I would have to start the process all over again.
What makes “One Strike” such a winner, aside from its price, is the fact that anyone can easily pick up the game and figure it out within just a couple of minutes. Players will primarily use one of four buttons, in addition to the direction pad to move either towards or away from their opponent. One button is for striking, another for blocking, and the remaining two are for quick movements to either dash towards your opponent or quickly retreat from them. To make matters more interesting, each of the games’ seven characters has their own unique fighting style which makes for a plethora of interesting combinations. Take for example Hangaku; a swift woman brandishing a Kusarigma, which can be thrown from across the arena to strike her opponent - however, with her long range attacks comes both a slower recovery time between attacks and an inability to block. Meanwhile, there is the slowing moving Soujirou who, while lacking the ability to dash forward, wields a long-range Nodashi which allows him to attack without having to get as close as other sword weilding characters. While the disparity between characters doesn’t serve to make one inherently better than the other, it does afford players the opportunity to find the character that works best for them.
Moving away from actual combat, I want to take note of the games unique presentation. Opting for a more retro, 16-bit design, “One Strike” manages to use the format to create a beautifully memorable experience. The characters feel very real - every attack, every block, every strike.. all of it can be heard and felt, which serves to make each battle all the more intense. And that doesn’t even take into account the multitude of serene, Japanese inspired backgrounds - which only serve to further enhance the atmosphere of each battle.
For a 16-bit, four button game that relies on such a simple premise - strike first or lose - “One Strike” manages to be surprisingly intense; and with a number of different game modes, which includes multiplayer, you will spend hours in your attempt to conquer Japan.
My rating: 10/10
“One Strike” is on sale now for one dollar! Check it out before the sale ends on Monday, February 4th!
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