Fighting games take many forms, from the traditional 2D fighter, to the arena party fighter. One fondly remembered series, is Capcom’s Power Stone series. It was a competitive 3D arena brawler, with heavy anime influences. While Capcom hasn’t continues that series, it hasn’t stopped other devs from taking inspiration for their own ideas. Combat Core is one such game that pays tribute to Power Stone in terms of layout and design, but manages to handle things differently.
Combat Core is a unique game, because there really aren’t any other games like it right now. It takes inspiration from Power Stone as I stated above, but also tries some new things. Each character definitely has a unique aesthetic to them, and they feel fully realized. The combat is intense, but there is good and bad here.
On the good side, Combat Core has excellent visuals, animation and music. It looks like a work of art and sounds amazing, especially in the more intense moments. But the issues start with the gameplay itself. The game feels too loose at times and that causes a few slipups when fighting. For instance, jumps feel slippery and sometimes it feels like the perspective throws you off when jumping.
I also noticed that not all the characters feel this way. Some feel too speedy and some too floaty, but overall, there is just something off. I considered that it might be an issue with my Joy Cons but I tested the game with multiple controllers. The other issues is that these issues do not seem to happen all the time. There are times when the characters play exactly right, and I had some great matches but I did not feel a consistent experience the entire time.
When the game did work, it felt like the modern successor to Power Stone that we have always wanted. When it didn’t work right though, it felt like an attempt to be a successor but one that fell short. I have no doubt that further patches will fix the problem, but Combat Core just feels a little too unpolished on Switch at this time. I emphasize on Switch, because I tested the PC version and didn’t notice a lot of the same problems, and played fine there. This one is a wait and watch recommendation. I feel it will be good, but it just isn’t there yet on Switch.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.