New Indie 3D Fighting Game Is Taking The Genre Back to Basics

Tekken 8 disappointed quite a few fans after the release of Season 2, and that number only grew with the recent disastrous release of Season 3. However, while most of us channel that disappointment into social media posts, Alcratz decided to get more creative and started making a 3D game of their own.

The game is called Rival Ultimate Steel Hand, or R.U.S.H. for short.

It currently exists in the prototype form, with only the basic placeholders and only the bare necessities to be playable. In spite of that, it's a great proof of concept because the game already feels incredibly responsive and satisfying to play.

Your movement is snappy and offers actually impactful positioning, evasion, and offense, with a few basic attacks and strings to complement it. Speedkicks already described it as "3D Footsies" and it's an apt comparison. While Footsies stripped Street Fighter down to its most basic components, R.U.S.H. does something similar with 3D fighters, offering the fundamental elements of 3D fighters without the bells and whistles that often do nothing but detract from the experience.

And this is only beginning. Alcratz points out in their video that one of the reasons this game exists, is to prove that 3D fighters can be optimized to offer a great netplay experience. As such, they did everything in their power to make sure this prototype operates well in online matches. You can and should try it for yourself, but those who played it offered nothing but praise for how responsive and fluid it feels to play.

We're incredibly excited to see how this project will develop over time, and if you want to go play it yourself, make sure to visit the game's Itch page.