[Review] Divekick - The One True Game
13 characters, 2 buttons, 1 shot. This is all there is to 2D fighting game, Divekick at first glance. However, there is a bit more to it than just that. The Divekick Wikia states that "Divekick is a satirical fighting game based solely around a joke made by Editor-and-Chief ofShoryuken.comAdam "Keits" Heart, 'What if there was a game called Divekick, and the characters were Dive and Kick, and the buttons were Dive and Kick?'" Divekick made its first official appearance at Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament 8 (May 25 - 27, 2012) and since then, the fighting game community (FGC)’s support and love for the title has steadily increased. It soon got to the point where everyone wanted to play it, including world champions of other games.
The roster was soon expanded from the original 5, to 13. Each character has their own ground and air special moves. A good chunk of the roster are inspired by famous characters and famous figures in the FGC. Two good examples of this is Dr. Shoals and the game’s final boss, S-Kill. Shoals is a female character inspired by Dr. Doom from Marvel vs Capcom 3, while S-Kill is based on former Capcom community manager Seth Killian. There are also many jokes from the FGC. Gameplay is straightforward. There are only 2 buttons, Dive and Kick. Dive makes you jump and Kick makes you attack. The first player to successfully land a Divekick on their opponent wins. To activate your specials, you press Dive and Kick together. I say that the game is simple at first glance, because once you delve deeper, you have to rely on your spacing of the characters.
As for the online capabilities, Divekick uses GGPO, a middleware program designed to help create a near-lag-free online experience. Player, tournament organizer and character inspiration, Alex Jebailey speaks for the general consensus:
I have really bad internet at my work but man divekick on the vita has been lag free and flawless. Killer app for vita online.
— Alex Jebailey (@CEOJebailey) August 20, 2013
The artwork isn’t as good as anything you’ll see on other AAA titles. The music is alright, and the audio clips are recorded well. Overall, I would say both are pretty damn decent for a game based on a joke. For better or worse, none of the FGC-inspired characters are voiced by their real-life counterparts.
As far as accessibility goes, you can remap Dive and Kick to any 2 buttons you want, giving you the ability to play the game the way you want. Players who love fighting games, but have a hard time with complicated controls will be able to play on the same field as anyone else, making it more of a mind game than a simple fighter. For $9.99, you can’t go wrong either. Released on August 20, 2013. Divekick is available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PC via Steam.
Game Rating: 5/5 Stars
Accessibility Rating: 5/5 Stars
Divekick was developed by Iron Galaxy Studios and One True Game Studios, and published by Iron Galaxy Studios. It retails for $9.99 USD, was released on August 20, 2013 and is available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PC via Steam. I would like to thank PR/marketing firm, Flashman Studios for giving me a review copy of the game.
