Divekick Introduction:

Divekick originated as a 2D competitive fighting game crafted by One True Game Studios, a collective of dedicated competitive gamers. The game's journey began with a promising demo showcased at various competitive gaming events. Encouraged by the positive response, the team initiated a Kickstarter campaign to secure funding for a full-fledged version tailored for Microsoft Windows. However, this Kickstarter endeavor came to an abrupt end when Iron Galaxy Studios joined forces with the developers to co-create and launch the game.



The name "Divekick" cleverly references a common maneuver found in many fighting games, where characters execute a mid-air diving kick, often wielding significant momentum. Dive kicks are renowned in fighting games for their potent and often exploitable nature. The entirety of Divekick's gameplay revolves around this specific mechanic. Beyond the gameplay, various aspects of the game, including its diverse character roster, cleverly satirize other fighting games and the culture of the competitive fighting game community. The game made its debut in English-speaking regions on August 20, 2013, releasing for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Microsoft Windows through Steam Greenlight. It later became available in Japan on September 17, 2014.

Gameplay:


A significant update, titled Divekick: Addition Edition, was introduced in April 2014, while a port of the game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, named Divekick: Addition Edition +, was unveiled on October 7, 2014.

Divekick stands out as a comedic parody of traditional fighting game themes and incorporates numerous humorous references to games, especially those within the Street Fighter franchise, as well as inside jokes prevalent in the competitive fighting game community. In contrast to most fighting games, which rely on a multitude of buttons for diverse movements and attacks, Divekick simplifies the controls to just two buttons: Dive and Kick. Pressing Dive triggers a vertical jump, with each character exhibiting distinct jump height and speed. Following a Dive, players can execute a diving kick by pressing the Kick button, each character performing it at a unique speed and angle. A standing Kick input initiates a backward evasive hop, known as a "kickback," for most characters. These moves serve as the sole means for movement, evasion, offense, and defense. Executing a divekick partially fills a Kick Meter displayed at the screen's bottom. This meter can be partially expended to unleash a special move, activated by simultaneously pressing both buttons. Each character boasts two distinct special moves: one for use on the ground and another for aerial combat. When the Kick Meter is fully charged, performing a kick triggers "Kick Factor," a nod to the "X-Factor" mechanic in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Kick Factor grants temporary speed enhancement and a slightly more advantageous kicking angle. Some characters gain unique properties, such as invincibility, while in Kick Factor.

The game incorporates a health bar for each player, though it serves primarily for comedic and stylistic purposes, as a round concludes after a single hit. If a player secures a round victory by delivering a direct kick to an opponent's head, referred to as a "Head Shot," they inflict a "Concussion." A Concussion depletes the player's Kick Meter and temporarily diminishes their character's speed and jump height at the outset of the next round. The Kick Meter cannot be replenished until the Concussion subsides.

Prior to each match, players are afforded the choice of a "gem," a playful parody of Street Fighter X Tekken's gem system. These gems offer various effects, such as heightened kick speed or increased Kick Meter accumulation. Notably, the beta version of the game featured an unselectable "DLC" gem, satirizing Capcom's controversial practice of locking additional DLC content that was already present on the game disc.

Final Words:


To mitigate the potential for draws due to the timer running out, the game incorporates a mechanic termed "Hold the Line." In the final moments of a round, a vertical red line emerges at the center of the stage. If the timer expires, the character closest to this line is declared the victor. If both players are equidistant from the line, a colossal foot representing the deity of Divekicking will descend, crushing both combatants and stripping them of any accumulated meter, resulting in a draw.