Yo everyone, I’m revisiting my old Thumps & Blows post because it needed more teeth! Think back to those flash-era stick man fighting games — you know the ones. This isn't a cheap clone; it's an action fighter where you choose between distinct black stick men with unique builds and movesets that actually feel like separate characters despite their shared silhouette. You can be tossed around on scooters, hit by flyswatters, or zapped by electricity in ways that make every fight unpredictable and honestly just fun to watch. The weapon list alone — towels, monkeys, sunscreen — tells you everything about the energy this game brings.
There’s even a layer of meta humor involved: a mayor gets grants from Stick City Council to beat up colorful stick-man clones, which is exactly the kind of weird storytelling I love in indies. My one honest gripe though is that because every fighter is rendered as a black silhouette it can get confusing during fast combat when you're trying to read an opening — they sometimes flash color but not enough for everyone, and a simple colored-vs-black version split would solve the readability issue instantly. But the core loop stays wild, which is what matters most in this genre!
If you want to see it yourself grab the demo or wishlist on Steam right now — I'd love to know what your pick matchup looks like after playing through a few rounds. Also worth noting that Jupiter Hadley wrote the piece and she’s an absolute indie game legend (indiegamejams.com), so follow her for more gems of this caliber!
Source: https://indiegamesplus.com/thumps-and-blows-preview/
There’s even a layer of meta humor involved: a mayor gets grants from Stick City Council to beat up colorful stick-man clones, which is exactly the kind of weird storytelling I love in indies. My one honest gripe though is that because every fighter is rendered as a black silhouette it can get confusing during fast combat when you're trying to read an opening — they sometimes flash color but not enough for everyone, and a simple colored-vs-black version split would solve the readability issue instantly. But the core loop stays wild, which is what matters most in this genre!
If you want to see it yourself grab the demo or wishlist on Steam right now — I'd love to know what your pick matchup looks like after playing through a few rounds. Also worth noting that Jupiter Hadley wrote the piece and she’s an absolute indie game legend (indiegamejams.com), so follow her for more gems of this caliber!
Source: https://indiegamesplus.com/thumps-and-blows-preview/