izigame.me

Having played the game practically since its release, I think I have a good overview of its evolution so far and, unfortunately, since its launch. Too little has gone in the right direction...
Improving on the gang beast concept, it had everything to please graphically. There are even a plethora of good arguments to recommend this game to you, but...
At launch, the game was sold as an 8-player brawler featuring some twenty different maps:
- 9 Last Stand maps (fighting in teams of 2 or 4)
- 9 Team Score maps (4vs4 with objectives to reach)
- 2 Arcade maps (can only be played by creating a private lobby or joining one).
In the first few months, the Chinese studio got the job done. Just over a month after the game's release, on Halloween, the developers were already adding relative content. But at the same time, problems were already beginning to emerge as the Chinese studio partnered with Chinese streaming platforms (Bilibili and Douyin to start with) and granted them exclusive skins (for Halloween, for example) that could only be obtained by Chinese users, thus penalizing other players. This led to a number of problems, as these skins, obtained by code, could (to cut a long story short) be used twice. As a result, Chinese players, having used the code once for themselves, would try to exchange it with players from Europe, North America, South America... for a code that the studio had set up with Discord (also usable twice) and which penalized Chinese players. In this code exchange, there were numerous scams on both sides, and in the end, it created a very bad climate between the gaming communities.
Shortly afterwards, the studio announced its roadmap, explaining that there would be a major update every 3 months, including a new map and new skins, which augured well for the future.
The problem was that their first major update was delayed by a month. To fill the gap, they added a new map and introduced the “Friend Pass”, allowing players to invite their friends to play the game with them for free. A fine initiative, to be sure.
Unfortunately, the worrying comments made by the studio were already summed up in this sentence: “We've noticed that many players are looking for a place to chat with others, rather than just fight” (patch note dated 16/12/2023). I don't know which players they're talking about, but nobody expected the studio to focus their money and energy on creating a place within the game where players could chat instead of fighting... Not only because this place already exists (the arcade maps), but also because if players have paid for a fighting game, it's because they want content related to what they've paid for!
At the end of January, these concerns prove to be well-founded. Their first update for the brawler they'd sold to players introduced a UNO game renamed PAWS in one of the arcade maps, as well as a jukebox... THAT'S IT! To counterbalance the anger of the players, less than 10 days later they released a new map, which didn't convince anyone because it was too similar in principle to another existing map.
The 2nd update doesn't do much better, as it also arrives a month late, and once again takes players by surprise. It introduces a new game mode with 2 missions playable solo or in pairs against bots. After 10 minutes of discovery to complete them (and I'm still being kind), you start to wonder if you haven't been ripped off, as the devs are moving further and further away from the fighting game they originally sold us.
Well, I'm tempering that a little, because there's one good thing in this update, and that's the appearance of another game mode, “SMASH”, which fits into the “combat” category. It's well thought-out, it's fun and it deserves to be said.
The 3rd update arrived on schedule! Are we going back to basics? No, of course not. This time, Recreate set out to offer players a Mario Kart version of Party Animals. It's certainly well done, and there's much more fun to be had in the one and only race than in the 2 challenge missions of the previous update, but when are you going to keep your promises? Where's the roadmap?
But all this is nothing compared to what's to come. The ultimate betrayal that buries the game for good. In the game, there are several ways to knock out your opponents:
- Light punching is the use of small punches (LP).
- Heavy punch: run and punch (HP)
- Dropkick: jump and kick (DK)
- Headbutt is a headbutt (HB)
There are two other techniques which are not explained in the game's tutorial and which have been found by players through experimentation:
- The superman punch is a combination of three keys and allows the player to levitate briefly after his punch.
- The fling is an improvement on the superman punch, combining 4 keys and allowing the player to project himself in the direction of his choice, knocking out anyone in his path. On the other hand, the fling is not without risk, as it can backfire if misdirected or controlled.
These techniques, and the fling in particular, have rapidly become extremely popular among players, because although they are extremely satisfying to perform, mastering them requires training and demonstrates a skill that any player wishing to improve must master.
Can you see it coming? At Recreate, they're doing everything they can to kill the fun. Since the release of their game, they've only done what they wanted to do, and whether we like it or not, that's the way it is. Our only treasure was the fling, but they took it away from us.
Faced with the tidal wave of anger, they backed down, but in the worst possible way. The fling now consumes a phenomenal amount of stamina and can no longer be played...
Worse still, the fling's nerf has created a domino effect on all gameplay, and the game's dynamics have been completely ruined:
- HP has become punishing for the user, as it consumes far more stamina and hits the opponent even less than before.
- The LP, which already consumed no stamina, has become much better, as it hits far more than the HP.
- DK has become exceptional
Before the nerf, the game required skill. It wasn't simply a matter of doing DK over and over again. In your desire to make the game more user-friendly for new players, you've not hesitated to scuttle the rules of the game. What you're doing is not the right solution. All you're doing is making the game less attractive. You change the rules without prior communication, without even telling the players what has changed. You're gradually destroying the trust and esteem the players had in you.
At the time of writing, there are barely 3,000 daily players on the game. This pales in comparison with the 60,000 of the early days. This lack of players has prompted Recreate to find “solutions”. Already present from the start of the game, bots have become the most important player community. If you thought you were playing with a player called SnoopDogg or PapaSmurf, you're just playing with a bot. Their intelligence is disastrous, and you'll soon realize it. Bots are of no use to the game. Worse still, there's a good chance they'll get in your way or accidentally kill you.
It seems vital to go back to an earlier version of the gameplay mechanics and the very foundations of the game. Until this is done, this game deserves this comment.