Divekick

It has captured everything we love about fighting games in a mere two buttons. Simply put, it’s genius. This is no joke.

Divekick is brilliant, you’ve just got to play it. You might not understand the humour, but nestled under that layer of in-jokes is an exquisite competitive game, and you might just understand fighting games a little bit more for playing it.

If you’ve always been worried about doing complex motions, those aren’t present here. Two buttons, that’s all you’ll have to worry about, and that is a liberating feeling.

Divekick may not look like it’s worth ten dollars, but like the stance-switching Uncle Sensei, looks can be deceiving. Once you’ve connect with high-powered “headshot”, you’ll gain a much better sense of the game’s value. When you’re on the receiving end of that ego-crushing kick to the dome, you can be damn sure that you’ll want a rematch.

Divekick is an interesting concept, and one that is hard not to enjoy. I had a blast playing locally, and for $10 it is hard not to recommend, especially considering you get both versions. Serious fighting game fans are not likely to create a tournament scene around it, but casual and pro players alike are bound to have some epic matches of back and forth. This is why it is fun, and why everyone can jump in and have a good time, and to me that accounts for a lot.

A fighting game with subpar graphics and just one attack (the rotating helicopter screwdriver kick... no just kidding, it is the dive kick) should not get more than 10/100, but it actually is pretty fun. When playing multiplayer. [October 2013 p.90]

It is unfortunate that there’s not a better single-player mode, and more unfortunate that Divekick’s cultural insensitivity can be downright cringe-worthy, but it’s still a successful experiment in simplified fighting.

Divekick's single-player game is lacking, but this two-button brawler turns into feet-flying fun with friends.

In the right environment and with the right people, Divekick offers some fun. But the lack of online lobbies drastically limits those opportunities. Like most novelties, the fun of Divekick is short-lived.

Divekick is a clever proof of concept for a fighting game reduction, and while that concept never quite turns into a fighting game great, it remains a precise and fast-paced alternative in a genre where it can often take hours just to get a grip on a single character. It takes all but ten seconds to grasp the basics of Divekick, but unless you really get into the online, it struggles to maintain a long-lasting infatuation.

Unfortunately, even a stable framerate can’t save it from faulty mechanics, kicks that cross players without landing, some iffy visuals and weirdly ’90s animations.

What had the potential to showcase to the uninitiated what makes fighting games so special has become a game aimed too squarely at those who already know.

Though the path to boot-stomping nirvana is fraught with flaws, Divekick succeeds at simplifying high-level concepts into a bite-sized experience that only gets better with time.

An ambitious re-imagining of the fighting genre, Divekick's innovative simplicity is also its greatest weakness as it lacks the depth required for a modern marketplace. Good for those five minutes waiting in line, but don't expect it to occupy a six-hour bus ride.

Two-button controls just aren’t very deep, and while the game is enjoyable in short bursts, I doubt if most players will care to play extensively.

Divekick has a simple combat system, but turns into a boring game in a few matches. The offline modes are poor, too. However, the game has a good online system based on GGPO.