CodeRushKombat

Controls

Top row of the attack grid is the light and heavy sword slash, bottom row is the light and heavy spin cut. Hold block to guard. The same four buttons answer A, B, C and D. Against the CPU you can also use the arrows and numpad. Esc pauses, M mutes.

Throws

Only up close, and a guard is no defence — a throw goes straight through a block, which is what stops blocking being a free ride. You can't throw from the air or out of hitstun. Hold back as you throw to put them down behind you instead of in front, for a bit more damage. When a throw grabs, the screen flashes white: that's a 0.35 second window for the one being held to tap Throw themselves and break out. Miss it and you go up, over, and down.

Special moves

Each fighter has two, done on a motion: back, forward then the first attack button, and down, back then the second — the whole motion inside 0.4 seconds. The Special button does the same thing without the motion, and does the second move if you hold block while pressing it. Specials cost nothing, but pressing Amplify while one is still coming out spends a bar of meter to make it hit harder and land bigger. Projectiles can be blocked for chip damage, and two of them thrown at once cancel each other out.

Juggles

Two hits stand the opponent up; a third one staggers them, and a third heavy one puts them on the floor. Amplify spends one bar of the meter under your health to launch them instead, and while they're up there every hit keeps them up — a little less each time, so the juggle always comes down. They bounce off the ground, lie there, and get up briefly untouchable. The meter fills whenever you land a hit or take one.

When questions appear

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Pointer Pull — a chain that yanks them into a free hit. Goto Strike — he comes apart into pixels and puts himself back together behind them.

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Null Freeze — a cold orb that holds them still for a second and a half. Recursion Portal — the floor opens under them and hands them back out behind him.

Combo clash

A combo reaches 4 hits, on the floor or mid-juggle. Both players answer. Attacker first gets 3 bonus hits; defender first breaks free.

Mystery box

Drops every 30 seconds. Walk into it to answer, but you're frozen and open to hits until you do.

Fatal Blow

Unlocks below 30% health. Landing one takes the arena over: the stage goes dark and both players race to answer for the damage — 30, or 15 — and then the whole take plays out.

Double or nothing

Also below 30%. One hard question: heal 25 or lose 10. Using either one locks the other for the round.