So I Tried… Your Only Move Is HUSTLE

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never tried before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I went for a little game called Your Only Move is HUSTLE: a turn-based fighting game that recreates those insane stick animation fight scenes into an interactive form.

What I thought

Well, a more accurate way of putting it, is a complicated mess of different moves and insane levels of strategy, skill, and some other third thing that escapes me about fighting games. Seriously, I’m not all that into fighting games, finding them really difficult to get into. I thought, despite it being turn-based, I had seen some videos of high level play and knew that it takes a lot of time to really get good. I see frame advantage, and I just blankly stare at it and wonder how people can take advantage of that.

What it actually is

A complex, but understandable fighting game, great for people just starting out. It’s shockingly easy to pick up and play, and with no prior experience, I had a very good first match with somebody. It was fun, and I pulled off some really cool stuff. There isn’t a tutorial, but I think it doesn’t need one, at least for low level play. Since you don’t have to worry about inputting combos, you focus more on positioning and planning, trying to outthink your opponent… which is actually what a good fighting game should be. It isn’t about the power of your attacks, it’s how and when you use them.

Will I keep playing?

Yes.

Like, I bought this game on a whim, and now I wanna play more.

I only played two matches (seriously, an average match takes 15-30 minutes to complete), but they were so fun. Multiplayer is enjoyable and the community is friendly and growing. I really want to play more and get better, find my strengths and polish them to a shine. Without the barrier of button combos and reaction time, I found it fun and engaging. Matches are long, but once you see those replays, you’ll watch in awe of what you’re able to accomplish here, even if it just boils to a one combo video of you getting your butt kicked through your mouth. Also, if you’re bored of the four characters available… Well, there are hundreds of user-made characters you can download and play as. Your Only Move Is HUSTLE is great for beginners who want to get into fighting games.