Fighting games can often be seen as intimidating to get into and, a big part of that is due to the PVP aspect of it. Many people are turned off because a more experienced player beats them pretty bad and it’s not easy to explain what’s going on. Poly Fighter, from HeartLoop games is a game that looks to eliminate one aspect of that by putting the mechanics of a fighting game but, instead of making it PVP, the game is a roguelike. Early impressions, it’s honestly a fun time as someone who enjoys fighting games a lot.
The game features two control schemes similar to alot of modern fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Invincible Vs. A simplified input system where you push buttons in a direction to perform specials or a more classic system with more complex inputs. There’s also the classic archetypes you often see in fighting games such as Hiro who functions as the shoto type (basically an all rounder character) and Adrian, a boxer who functions more as a rush down character. Grapplers, mix up heavy characters and zoners are also present. Similar to how fighting games functioned in the 90s, the characters are unlocked through completing certain steps throughout your runs.
Each character starts off with different special moves and has their own set of normals as well, although the control scheme and inputs are the same for each so it’s relatively simple to switch between them as you unlock them. They also start off with their own unique special and super moves. Hiro is a character very inspired by the likes of Ryu fights with a karate style and starts off with a fireball and uppercut. Adrian on the other hand is a boxer, and only has punches as her normals similar to characters like Dudley – she also has dashing punches to help her get in.
Specials, supers and perks are where the game’s roguelike aspect mainly comes in however. As you progress and win fights, you can equip any special or skill from any other character and grant them different perks, for example you can possibly give Adrian’s dash punch both armor and a wall bounce, unlock Hiro’s uppercut later and also give it a walk bounce which will greatly increase your overall combo potential. Things like dashes going through projectiles and perks making your first strike of the match unblockable can also be found. There’s also different meters that can be found such as one that turns you into a beast form and a power meter which increases damage as you fill it. Early on, Poly Fighter seems to have a good amount of depth to it and it’ll be interesting to see how they expand upon it as things go on.
However I will say, I think it would be better if specials tailored to the character you’re currently using appeared rather than just any character’s moves. Some moves don’t link as well with certain characters normals and it can take some trial and error to really figure that out so you don’t end up picking something that’s ultimately a waste for your character. This was more evident when I played Hiro as his normals don’t quite have the range or string together as well as either Adrian or Imani.
Each character has their own little backstory as well as you progress through the different ladders. Hiro is simply trying to increase his skills for example while Adrian is trying to find her sister that has fallen in with a notorious gang. It’s nothing significant really but, it does make me feel nostalgic for fighting games in the 90s and early 2000s.
Of course, some things are a bit rough around the edges. There were times where my normals just wouldn’t respond, things would randomly slow down and certain supers have issues connecting. Some of the bosses and enemies did have a bit of that 90s cheapness as well even on the standard difficulty which may turn some people off. It is early access however so things like this are to be expected. For now I can say however that, Poly Fighter is shaping up to be a fun roguelike. It’s clear that the developers at HeartLoop have love for the genre and it’s nice to see someone take a different approach to it.
Poly Fighter is set to go into early access on October 13th, 2026 with Steam as the only platform for now. Thank you to HeartLoop games for providing us with an early access code.
