99Vidas Demo

The brawler genre is not as popular as it used to be, but then again the video games industry has evolved a lot in the last few years. Hence, gamers now demand more realistic experiences with detailed worlds, a rich story and a complex set of gameplay mechanics in order to have fun. On the other hand, it’s still fun to engage in a retro adventure every now and again, especially if it’s done right.

99Vidas is a 2D fighting game with retro graphics and all the good ideas of the 90s mixed into a single experience. Thus, you control a character as it explores a world full of enemies that must be defeated using punches, kicks and special abilities that call down on the power of the elements. To make things even more exciting, the game also features a local co-op mode, as well as online multiplayer.

You do not really have to think about the story too much, because there’s not a lot of it to begin with. As such, all you have to do is pick a character in the beginning and survive the levels in order to reach the end. The violence takes you through a variety of different environments, and each stage features new enemies you have to face, some of which has special moves and abilities as well.

Performing combos is very easy, given the fact that all you have to do is mash the buttons in the correct order and watch out for the enemies attacking you. You also have access to more powerful skills that come with a decent cooldown time, and these are helpful when you are overrun and you cannot stay alive otherwise. It helps if you play with your friends, especially since the game supports both local and online co-op.

Speaking of which, the best way to experience 99Vidas is with a gamepad, because using a keyboard can be rather tricky sometimes. The default key bindings on the keyboard are not that great either, so a gamepad is a must, especially during co-op sessions. As far as the graphics are concerned, the retro style is very well-executed, and the background music should bring back a few memories as well.

In the end, 99Vidas has all the makings of a great fighting game, even if it doesn’t really feature any original ideas in the gameplay department. However, it’s certainly addictive, not to mention difficult and rewarding once you manage to defeat a boss or get past a tricky section.