The 10 GREATEST Fighting Games You've Probably NEVER Played

Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein (1998)

Numerous Capcom fighting games have fallen by the wayside as Street Fighter became the companys flagship fighter. Some folks have championed forgotten Capcom fighters like Power Stone, Darkstalkers, and even Rival Schools. But Plasma Sword never got another chance to garner interest after its one and only outing. With its diverse roster and unique movesets between characters, Plasma Sword was one of the coolest fighting games Capcom had made in the 90s. Unfortunately, critics at the time were not so impressed with the game, some even going so far as to label Namcos Soulcalibur as the superior weapon-based fighting game. But if you want to try it for yourself, the arcade version is available via Capcom Fighting Collection 2.

Dual Blades (2002)

The Game Boy Advance wasnt the best console to play fighting games on. Tekken Advance was the most notable exception, but the best one we experienced was Dual Blades. What started out as a student project made by a single Turkish man became a deep and compelling 2D fighter despite the simple controls. Character sprites and backgrounds boasted an impressive amount of detail, and there were enough unique moves for each character that allowed them to play differently. Unfortunately, critics were not so kind to Dual Blades, and considering the GBAs young playerbase at the time of release, many parents werent keen on giving their kid a fighting game with an M-rating slapped on the box. Luckily, it was one of the first games that helped open the doors for Turkish developers to acquire development licenses for Nintendo hardware.

Omen of Sorrow (2018)

With Killer Instinct having been absent for many, many years, a very small selection of indie developers have attempted to fill the void it left behind. Omen of Sorrow is the one that continues to stand out from the crowd with its dark fantasy aesthetic and heavy metal soundtrack. Much like Rares legendary fighter, Omen of Sorrow runs at such a frenetic speed that youll have to be super quick on your feet to grasp its mechanics. So, if you wind up playing this but grow a bit frustrated, keep in mind that this is a game with a bit of a learning curve to it. And once you finally get the hang of it, Omen of Sorrow feels greatly rewarding.

Thunder Ray (2022)

Missing the good ol days of classic boxing games like Punch-Out? Well, Thunder Ray is the perfect remedy for that! Much like Nintendos prized fighter, Thunder Ray will pit you against a diverse roster of rivals with their own moves and patterns to study. Of course, you will have your own arsenal of different punches to utilize, too. Just fair warning - while the artstyle is immaculately impressive, the difficulty can throw you off guard. So, try not to get distracted by the brilliant animation.

Thems Fightin Herds (2020)

While were on the subject of fighting games with great art direction, Thems Fightin Herds was developed with Lauren Faust, the creator of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, assisting in character design. The trick with this game is in mixing up your normal attacks with magic-fueled attacks to create insane combos. Theres even a really cool story mode that blends the regular fighting gameplay with top-down action-adventure exploration. One asterisk to tack onto this, however - despite the games financial success through crowd-funding all future developments have been canceled. For what is here, the game is fantastic and worth the money. Its just a real shame that developer Mane6 and publisher Modus just gave up on the game.

Blade Strangers (2018)

On a more positive note, Blade Strangers was one of the most bizarre crossover fighting games weve seen in recent years, mostly because this was a fighter starring various characters from indie games. From The Binding of Isaac and Shovel Knight" to Cave Story and Code of Princess, Blade Strangers just always looks like a wild fever dream of characters with different aesthetics from each other. Gameplay-wise, it is very reminiscent of older, more classical fighting games like Fighting Layer and the various versions of Street Fighter III. So, if you want something that feels mechanically deep but not overtly crazy with grooves and the like, Blade Strangers is an excellent title.

Samurai Shodown (2019)

When it comes to SNK, most folks pay attention to The King of Fighters andwell, only King of Fighters. The 2019 reboot of Samurai Shodown tried to rejuvenate interest in the IP, and SNK really gave it their all by churning out three seasons of post-launch support. In the end, what we got was perhaps the most robust and imaginative character roster in the franchises history (Samurai Shodown VI notwithstanding). Sadly, people didnt seem to bite. The online scene died relatively fast, and the number of people wanting to compete was much smaller compared to other games, even at big events like EVO. But trust us, if you want a fighting game that forces more defensive play, Samurai Shodown is it!

Breakers (1996)

On the surface, Breakers looks like so many other games in the 1990s that tried desperately to capitalize on Street Fighters success. Andit kind of was. The only difference between those and Breakers is that Breakers was just as compelling as Capcoms flagship fighter. The major difference here is that Breakers demands more focus on movement and not just special moves. Every character dodges, rolls, and dashes differently than the rest, and executing good defensive plays does reward you with meter to perform more powerful moves. So, those wanting some new spin on traditional 2D fighting will find solace in Breakers.

Killer Instinct (2013)

We mentioned Killer Instinct a couple of times when talking about Omen of Sorrow. But really, have any of you played the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct? Considering the low player count on PC and lack of players on Xbox, perhaps not. And thats a real shame because this game received a ton of post-launch support despite the rough life cycle the Xbox One was put through. Through various updates, the game received a wealth of new characters, each with different mechanics and approaches to combat. In short, every fight is going to feel like a totally different game, and with this level of replayability, it would behoove any fighting game fan to give Killer Instinct a shot.

Secret Ponchos (2014)

While Secret Ponchos is not a fighting game in what were used to seeing in a traditional fashion, the pacing, speed, and moment-to-moment gameplay is exactly like a fighting game. Unfortunately, despite the unique cast, captivating art direction, and robust amount of depth in mechanics, Secret Ponchos died insanely quickly. The game never caught fire on PS4, and when it came to PC, it only ever saw more than 1,300 players within a single month. Since January 2016, there has never been more than 20-something players online, with numbers dwindling to the point where no one is playing. And thats a real shame because in a full lobby, Secret Ponchos is a ton of fun in seeing how much havoc you can cause and how many kills you can rack up. It felt so good to play!

Whats a fighting game you feel most people arent playing more of? Did it make our list? I know its popped up on several of our lists, but man, my friends just did not want to give The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy a shot, even though its an amazing Power Stone clone. But let us know what you think down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!