Real Talk By: KJ

It started off as just a kickstarter dream, but the concept gained weight, and buzz began to build. Reaching its funding plateau, Divekick was a go. One of the most unusual fighting games of this generation is here. Is that a bad or good thing?  The game is controlled by two buttons of your choice. The default control set is the L1/R1 combination. L1 dives and R1 kicks. It feels different playing the entire game with only two buttons. Adjusting the volume, picking characters, starting an online lobby, ext. All in all, they really made it work.

Games are won only by landing a Dive kick to your opponent. Land the kick on the opponents foot, chest, anyplace. You just have to be the first one to connect with the hit. It’s an instant KO every time. Standard play consists of 5 rounds, but this can be adjusted in the options. When time expires (which happens due to the games default 20 sec limit), gamers must get in the middle. That’s right, whoever is closest to the center of the stage will win the round. While everyone has a divekick, the way it lands is very different. Some will teleport, use portals, and other off-the-wall techniques. There’s even a parry attack, that puts you in a nice spot to land your foot on a foe. The game will rate your performance after winning a match. How you dived, kicked, and the “Not losing” grade as well.

I want this shirt. Just saying.

The characters truly standout. The two stars Dive and Kick pay tribute to Capcom’s greatest duo. Kick yells out loud Will Smith movie and song titles, making references to his older material. There are Easter eggs throughout, which diehard fighting game fans will really get a ‘kick’ out of. Give Uncle Sensei a try. The master of the Divekick combo himself, provides comical info during loading screens and probably has the best back story out of the group.

Basic as this concept sounds, getting to the point where you land the kick can get very tricky. developers One True, stripped away the complex button commands of other fighters, still keeping this game a true test of skill. Some will kick faster, use charged based kicks where you can delay your launch, tricking the opponent. Everyone even has a super move. Land a kick directly in a player’s face, that’s a headshot. The next round, that person is concussed,  the competitors will move slower for a short amount of time. Before you choose a character, pick an upgrade. One will modify diving, the other your kick. The last will give a power meter boost, letting you utilize it sooner. The greatest choice for those gutsy enough, is the “YOLO” selection. Picking this will give you all three abilities at the same time, but if you lose one round, game over.

The online is chaotic, a true test of the mind. Thanks to the GGPO netcode, you’ll experience pretty smooth sailing. It’s important for a game like this. The slightest screw up will leave you with a foot up your rear. Sadly there is no spectator mode. It would have been fun to laugh at the close calls and absurd characters with a room full of online friends. On the flip side, We could see people having house parties with this being featured due to its accessibility. The story mode does a solid job of breaking down the cast members origins. When you beat it, the only other option is local versus. We believe a survival mode would have fit in well with this concept. “Can you DiveKick 100 foes?” Oh, that would have been cool. How about a time attack? There’s always room for DLC.

As it stands, DiveKick is a fun title, which will provide many good times. The amount of characters, levels and music are all solid for this price tag. The theme song will get you pumped for action right away. More could have been done for the local player, but it’s still an experience all gamers should try out. Sounds and looks simple, but there’s plenty more going on. This will be played for years to come. Bottom line. It’s available now as a $9.99 PS3/Vita crossbuy. Steam users can jump kick too.

Divekick Gets

Out of Five

 What’s Legit?

+Unique concept that works

+Comedy

What’s Perpetrating?

-No spectator mode

-Barebones local play

@PlayLegit #DiveKick