Interesting Fighting games

Games where the most important thing is the ability of the player to execute the right actions to defeat the opponent.

4-D Boxing (link)

You can fight your opponent while looking through his eyes - in second person view.

Castle Crashers (link)

You have light, heavy and magic attack which can be used to perform combos. When you jump attack an enemy you can stay in air indefinitely by continuing to hit them. Like this you can move around the level and pick up more enemies in the air. Enemies can be picked up and thrown. When you are hit and fall down you can quickly recover with well timed jump. Has cooperation mode.

Crawl (link)

Four players compete who will be the one to slay the boss. While one player is the hero, other players control monster or traps. The player who manages to kill the hero will become the hero. During the game players get stronger monsters and level up and equip their hero.

CrossCode (link)

Blocking at right time makes enemies vulnerable but may make them use more powerful attacks. You have also dodge, melee attack with combo sequence and ranged attack that is fast and inaccurate but strong and accurate when charged up. Attacking recharges bar for special moves. You can do neutral attacks or switch to one of four elements that change attack behavior and attributes of your character. Using the elements too much will temporarily prevent you from using them.
Your character has skills and equipment. Levels contain puzzles and platforming sections.

Dark Messiah: Might and Magic (link)

You fight in first person with various weapons that can perform different attacks. You can also block, kick enemies, throw environment objects at them and later transform, which makes you faster and lose health over time but gain health by killing. Fighting builds up adrenaline which can be spent on powerful attacks. Spending skill points can make you better at melee, archery, stealth and magic. Environment can be used to defeat enemies by kicking them off cliffs and into hazards or luring them into traps. Spells have other uses besides damage, for example they can ignite oil or create slippery ice patch. Some levels require platforming using a rope bow, which can lead to secret areas.

Darksiders II (link)

Combo based fighting game with multiple weapon types and abilities. Enemy attacks can be dodged, which can trigger a counter attack, and a horse can be summoned that offers faster movement but limits attacking. Regular attacks charge up powerful temporary form.
Weapons and armor have randomized traits, some weapons are upgradeable by sacrificing other equipment which allows to pass their traits to the weapon. In some levels there are guns that can be picked up. It is a single player game but players can send messages and gear to each other. Also lot of exploration and puzzles.

Epistory: Typing Chronicles (link)

You can move around but to attack enemies you have to stop and enter combat stance. Then words will appear over enemies. By typing them on keyboard you will hit the enemy. You can also switch between elements which add an effect to your attacks, like slowing down or hitting multiple enemies.

Gothic (link)

Beating people in combat does not immediately kill them and they will actually give up and run away. You can loot them while they are down and the same applies to player. The game map is open – you can go and climb anywhere but enemies don't scale, so access to area depends on the character's equipment and player's skill.

Gunz: The Duel (link)

Thanks to glitches and animation canceling that requires precise execution, players are able to perform many different actions that give them big advantage over less skilled players. Things like flying around walls, dashing and attacking and blocking almost at the same time or faster shooting.

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (link)

The game is divided into two screens. In the top is the player character, who can jump, do various combo attacks and shoot a gun. In the bottom, there are blocks that you can switch to create rows of three or more, which clears them. Defeated enemies and picked up bonuses fall down and become blocks. The blocks slowly move up, when an enemy block moves over the edge, it returns to the top screen. When you switch to bottom screen you have a limited time to combine blocks while the top screen is paused. Clearing blocks grants bonuses like healing or clearing enemies on screen, it powers up your gun shots and it also builds up a meter. The meter can be used to fire the gun or it can be filled completely to get into powered up mode and filling it up second time grants temporary invulnerable mech mode.

Hyrule Warriors (link)

You control one of many characters, each with their own attacks. You have a limited use special attack and buff. Some enemies can be counterattacked which makes them temporarily vulnerable. You have items that are strong against some enemies and can be used to access hidden treasures. Map has bases which spawn units and can be captured. When there are multiple characters fighting, you can switch between them or command them on the map. Characters level up, can be upgraded and can equip weapons with different abilities. There is an adventure mode, where you move a party freely on a grid based map, accomplish challenges and use items to progress.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (link)

Player gains health by absorbing souls of defeated enemies. Player can perform basic combos, dodge, lunge, throw grabbed enemies and use weapons. To kill an enemy, it must be impaled with a weapon or thrown on a spike. When in full health, player can shift from spectral to material realm, which changes the level appearance and behavior. In material realm player slowly looses health. Loosing all health will force shift back to spectral realm. Some puzzles require moving blocks around, which besides pushing can be also flipped. Player gains various abilities, one of them is constrict, which can stun enemy and is performed by running around the enemy twice.

Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight (link)

4 players take turns moving on the map, visiting lairs protected by monsters to grow stronger with gathered experience and items, and to find 4 keys. A player with enough keys can fight a strong monster to get a moonstone, which allows the player to win, when brought to the right place on the map at the right time. During the game, the moon switches between phases, which affects strength of monsters and moonstones.
In combat, the player can execute different attacks with their sword, block, dodge and use items. When two players meet, they will fight and the winner can take an item from the loser. Players have health and a limited amount of lives. A dragon roams on the map, which will attack players and take items from them. The player that defeats the dragon gets the stolen items.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (link)

In melee combat the hit damage depends on your movement during strike and when the strike connects. Being too close with a long weapon decreases inflicted damage. You can strike from different sides, hitting different locations of the body. Strikes can be parried if the right side is chosen. It is possible to fight from horseback too, which also allows lancing the enemies.
People can be hired to join the party, you can then command them during battle. The world has factions that fight each other and the player can work for them. There are cities with merchants moving around and trading, simulating an economy. Villages and caravans can be raided or helped out, they keep track of reputation. Player can become a vassal and get land under their control or start your own faction.

One Step from Eden (link)

The combat map is divided into two halves and consists of tiles. You move on your half, the enemies on the other one. You have an auto attack that shoots in front of you to the enemy half. During the game you gather ability cards from which you can build your deck. During combat you have two abilities available. When you use an ability, it will be replaced by the next one from your deck. Using abilities costs mana that regenerates with time. The abilities can affect tiles in various ways, apply status effects and can be upgraded. You also level up and gain passive abilities.

Pyre (link)

You have a team of three characters that you can switch between. The goal is to get the orb to the enemy pyre. While not holding an orb, the characters have an aura on the ground around them that will temporarily banish enemies who touch it. The aura gets stronger when teammates are close to each other and can be extended forward. You can do moves like passing the orb to others, throwing it, sprinting or jumping over enemy aura. Character that delivers the orb to pyre will be temporarily banished. Each character has different attributes like speed, aura size or how much they extinguish enemy pyre.

Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves (link)

Prepare for the night by logging for money, buying supplies and placing traps and baits around the map. During the night you protect few buildings from wolves, werewolves and other monsters, some are resistant to weapons that are not blessed or made of silver. You have one shot musket with long reload and an axe. You can dodge and unlock special moves but fighting depletes your stamina. Enemies will be defensive or aggressive depending on how much they fear you. They can be scared off by hurting them and being close to fire.

Super Baseball 2020 (link)

You select a team and play a modified version of baseball. The players have jetpacks, which with the right timing allows dashing towards the ball or jumping and catching it in the air. The sloped stadium makes the ball return back to the field, except when launched into the home run zone. The field has areas that stop the ball when touched and areas that allow jetpack jumps. During the game teams earn money depending on how well they play. The money can be spent during the game to buy gear for your players, that makes them better at one of the roles. Players can also be replaced with a robot. Robots and gear have limited durability.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (link)

You control a single character, fight enemies, solve puzzles and gather items that help you progress. The items allow lifting up the character in the air, pulling him towards objects or creating blocks. The items you need for progressing can be bought or rented. Renting is cheap, but the items are returned on death. Bought items can be upgraded by finding enough collectibles. The character can merge into a wall and move on it horizontally. Using items and merging into walls drains mana, which regenerates when idle.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (link)

You control a single character, fight enemies, solve puzzles and gather items that help you progress. The game has a time limit after which the town is destroyed, but the player can return back to the beginning of the game at any point. This resets the world, but the player gets to keep most of the items. Other characters have a daily routine and events, which the player keeps track of with a notebook. The player can use masks, which disguise them and grant abilities.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (link)

You control a single character, fight enemies, solve puzzles and gather items that help you progress. The player can obtain items, that allows the player to create blocks and switch place with an object or an enemy. The player can find and equip rings which give different bonuses. The player can ride on one of three animals which allow for different ways of travel. A special item allows the player to travel between past and present version of the world. The past world has different layout and player actions here can change the present world. This game can be linked with the Oracle of Seasons game, which allows the player to transfer their character to the other game and unlocks more items using obtained passwords.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (link)

You control a single character, fight enemies, solve puzzles and gather items that help you progress. The player can obtain magnetic gloves, that can change polarity and will pull or push items or the player when used on stationary objects. The player can find and equip rings which give different bonuses. The player can ride on one of three animals which allow for different ways of travel. A special item allows to change the environment by switching between four seasons. Depending on the current season, the water might freeze, trees grow leaves, holes be filled up by fallen leaves etc. This game can be linked with the Oracle of Ages game, which allows the player to transfer their character to the other game and unlocks more items using obtained passwords.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (link)

You control a single character, fight enemies, solve puzzles and gather items that help you progress. You can throw a boomerang that will follow a path you draw before returning. You can stretch a grappling hook between poles and use it as a spring that launches you across holes. There is a recurring dungeon where you get damaged over time, unless you stand in safe tiles. The dungeon is reset after every visit, but obtaining new items allows you to progress faster through it. One item protects your health from being drained by the dungeon for a limited time. The time is reduced by being hit from enemies.
The player travels between islands in a ship. New ship parts can be obtained which can be traded with other players using a network connection. There is a multiplayer battle mode, where players compete for highest score. Players take turn controlling the main character, who has a time limit to collect gems, and controlling the enemies to try and stop the other player from collecting.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (link)

An open world game with puzzle dungeons. The weapons you fight with have limited durability. You can sneak up on enemies, target weak spots, block with shield and dodge attacks, which gives opportunity for strong counterattack. You have limited stamina, which is used for various actions, like climbing walls. You can also glide or slide on slopes. Found items can be combined to create consumables that restore health and give temporary bonuses. The environment affects characters and items, for example food gets cooked when dropped near fire, ice obstacles can be melted with fire or metal weapons can attract lighting during a storm.
You have few special abilities. You can attach various materials to weapons and arrows, which increase durability, damage and give special effects like freezing the enemy. You can jump up into the ceiling above you and appear on the top surface, which also works on some big enemies. You can rewind time for a specific object, which makes fallen rocks fly back up or thrown weapons return to their owner. You can summon companions, which help you fight and each have a special ability. And finally you can move most objects around and combine them together and with special devices, such as wheels, fans or weapons, which allows you to create various machines that move on their own or you can steer them. The machines use a limited, but rechargeable, amount of energy when they work.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (link)

The are three player characters, each is either controlled by a different player or one player switches between them. The characters share health, but each has their own mana for using items found in the level. The players have to cooperate to progress. The characters can stack up to reach higher places and can throw each other. The characters can wear different clothes which give different bonuses.

Transistor (link)

During the game player gains functions which can be equipped as active abilities, as upgrades for equipped ability or as passive upgrades. Each function does something else and gives different bonuses. There are close and ranged attacks, teleport, invisibility, spawning allies, enemy weakening, stuns, backstabbing, combo bonuses…
Player can stop time to plan out limited movement and ability usage which is then executed while enemies are in slow motion. It needs to recharge to be used again.

Underhero (link)

When you get close to enemy a battle will start. During battle you can’t move but you can do various actions. You can attack, which uses up stamina. When stamina gets too low, you can’t do anything until it recharges. This applies to enemies too. When you evade enemy attack with jump or duck you gain back stamina. Well timed block also restores stamina and stuns the enemy. When your attack are synchronized with music beat, they will deal more damage. Battle can be escaped by paying the enemy.

WWF WrestleFest (link)

You can use various moves depending on where you are standing relative to the enemy and whether they are laying on the ground or in a grapple. There is a game mode, where you have a free for all fight with 5 enemies. In other modes you have two wrestlers, which you can switch between. The inactive wrestler regains health and will help you when you are grappled or join in for an attack when you grapple the enemy. You win by draining the enemy’s health and then pinning them on the ground for long enough. You can also win by throwing the enemy outside the ring and keeping them there for long enough. Alternatively you can follow them outside and fight them there using some objects as weapons.

Honorable mentions

Bastion
Dino Rex
Fabular: Once upon a Spacetime
Hollow Knight
Jotun: Valhalla Edition
PuLiRuLa
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

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