The fighting genre is one of the most popular and long-lived types of video games, with many masterpieces and cult classics throughout its extensive and diverse history.
10 Best Fighting Games For Under $5
Once you’ve completed Tekken 8, you’ll need to take these 10 fighting games for a round or two - and they’re all available to buy for under $5.
However, regarding combat arts representation,there is a more selective list of titles that really deepen into the flow,magic,and tradition of hand-to-hand encounters, offering a new way to internalize the act of fighting while playing.
Therefore, if you’re interested in knowing these special games whose focus is to give the player a more immersive representation of physical prowess, here isour ranked list of the 10 best martial arts games.
10Overgrowth
Unconventional And Hilarious
Overgrowthis an atypical indie action game in which you incarnate a rabbit that can jump, kick, throw, and slash through all kinds of anthropomorphized animals.
The intention, rather than just winning, isto give the player the sensation of creating a movie, urging you to experiment with its great combat system to make the most epic fighting scenes.
Thanks to its broad movements and acrobatic capacities, it’s easy to feel captivated by the satisfying action sequences that can occur. For sure, it’s eccentric, butOvergrowth is hilariously fun,challenging,and definitely worth the try.
99 Monkeys of Shaolin
The Magic Of Beat ‘em up
9 Monkeys of Shaolin
As a stylish beat ‘em up representative,9 Monkeys of Shaolinis a love letter to the fans of the genre, presenting a nostalgic but excellent approach to old-school video games.
From the story to the combat, the art, and even the visual effects, Sobaka Studio’s work is the result of merging every trope associated with ancient martial arts, and it works charmingly.
By taking advantage of modern-level design and world interaction,9 Monkeys of Shaolin manages to fabricate wonderful fighting encounters, thus making it a must on this list.
Great Prospect
While being part of thebest kung-fu games of all time, the underrated treasure calledAbsolveris one of the most complex and largest demonstrations of martial arts in gaming.
The title allows you to personalize your character with almost 200 different movements, which depend on your chosen combat style, your stance, and, of course, your mastery of the mechanics.
Unfortunately, the campaign is rather vague and the multiplayer never worked out, but the sheer quality and depth of its gameplay are so massive thatit’s an essential recommendation for the followers of the genre.
7Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO
The Return Of The Cult Classic
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
The Budokai Tenkaichi series became a worldwide phenomenon for a huge number of reasons, andDragon Ball: Sparking! ZEROarrived to take those reasons to another level.
Withhundreds of characters, movements, skills, techniques, and possibilities, the latest entry in the legendary franchiseraises the bar for fighting anime adaptations when it comes to density and spectacle.
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It may lack a good campaign, but Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO makes you feel “in the zone” so many times while playing thatthe satisfaction and entertainment are bigger than anything else.
Everlasting Presence
No fighting list of any sort can be complete withoutTekken, andTekken 8is not only its most recent appearance but also one ofthe best competitive multiplayer gamesat the moment.
Overall, the title is the finest expression of everything Bandai Namco has strived for, excelling in every mechanical, visual, and sound department without fail.
Yet, Tekken 8 doesn’t settle for only a superb gameplay feeling, as it too offers an amazing story mode that highly complements its arcade variants.
In both cases, it always feels vivid and refined,justifying the title of the ultimate Tekken experience.
5Jade Empire
Martial Arts Master
Jade Empire
Before creating two of the most popular RPG franchises of all time, BioWare experimented with a project that would also turn into a classic, although at a more niche level:Jade Empire.
Combining role-playing elements with martial arts and an interesting story, further adding a layer of replayability that wasn’t common among its peers of the time, it had a great formula to create a memorable experience.
Stunning and rewarding,Jade Empire is a beloved game that exalts the art of physical combat. It has aged a bit, but it’s still impactful, clever, and worthy of recognition.
Fight Like Hell
Every fan of punching and kicking knowsYakuza, and every Yakuza fan knowsYakuza 0: the most bizarre, quirky and unbelievable piece of art you may think of.
With multiple fighting styles, all kinds of goons, and an ever-present interactive world to use for your violent amusement, the origins of Kiryu and Majima are amazing because of everything, and that includes the game’s terrific hand-to-hand battles.
Simultaneously, Yakuza 0 is one of thebest video game prequelsever created, so it has it all to be considered for this list, especially since it can appeal to veterans and newcomers alike.
A Tale Of Revenge
In terms of martial arts, there’s no denying that SEGA is a fitting company to reference, as it has Yakuza under its belt but, first and foremost,Shenmue, one of the most iconic series of all time.
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The first game, despite being from 1999, remains a groundbreaking title that shaped the open-world genre, presenting an epic tale of revenge through a martial arts lens that gave it an unsurpassed vibe.
Years have passed, andthe gaming industry still remembers Shenmue for its revolutionary condition. It had a minute of fighting for every hour of asking people about sailors, but that’s all the time it needed to be unforgettable.
2Sleeping Dogs
Undercover Masterpiece
Sleeping Dogs
When talking about underrated games,franchises that were killed off too quickly, or titles that are amazing at representing the institutions of fighting, every conversation can turn to the same name:Sleeping Dogs.
This undercover cop drama combines the performance of martial arts with the perspective of a third-person shooter to form a combat system that is intense, brutal, and explosive.
It’s a terrible shame that the intellectual property has fallen into obscurity, because the ideas and the execution are tremendously fantastic andmore than enough to be among the best of the genre.
Martial King
After Absolver left a magnificent structure, Sloclap was determined to create the best martial arts game possible, and that intention eventually came through whenSifuarrived at the scene.
This masterpiece isn’t just anawesome roguelite, but also an amalgamation of every iconic mechanic of the genre. The choreographies, the flow states, the use of your surroundings, the challenges, the bosses, the animations, and so on,are at their maximum refinement.
With a cinematic orientation, an unparalleled sense of satisfaction, andan immersive loop of mastering the martial arts to effectively understand what Sifu is about, this one-of-a-kind journey will mark you as a player… and as a martial artist.
10 Best Martial Arts Anime, Ranked
Love martial arts and anime? Well, here are some of the best anime shows that take martial arts to a whole new level with their unique combat style.
