Title: Mofumofusensen
System: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Price: $5.99
Release Date: 06/10/2022

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Story

This game is a curious one. Put together as a result of the SmileBasic 4 program, (which just so happens to be one of my most popular reviews on SFG, for whatever reason) A Kemono/furry focused fighting game made entirely by one person has been given the greenlight for a standalone release, having gone past the confines of the SmileBasic Download List.

When we covered SB many moons ago, I noted how there was the possibility for plenty of cool games, and indeed, in the months and years since I would check in to see just what the community would cook up, and was pleasantly surprised by the sheer variety of fun I could experience. Caravan shooters, puzzlers, platformers, adventure games, so many viable candidates and endless replay value to enjoy, all thanks to the robust community and downloading capabilities of that application. Some of these games were so good, I was confident one of them could be expanded into a standalone ordeal, yet this one slipped completely by me!

Well, here it is, Mofumofusensen, or Mofu as I’ll shorten it to, is a one on one fighting game, allowing you to choose from an assortment of characters and duke it out in 1v1 fighting matches, very akin to the retro fighters of old. Each character does have their own ending, but there’s not much in terms of a connective plot in the game itself, or why these characters act the way they do. The story behind this game’s release is honestly the more fascinating aspect!

Presentation

This is a particularly tricky section to cover here, since normally, I should be able to just brush it off as a bunch of assets reused from Smilebasic 3, since a majority of games in that community do indeed stick to those provided assets. Yet here with Mofu, I can’t really tell that this was made in SmileBasic!

A lot of the assets here were painstakingly crafted by the lone developer behind the game, and while some sound effects and UI aspects are carried over from the SmileBasic editor, the game in general is distinct enough to stand out by quite a lot. You got multiple menus, several characters with differing stages, and flashy effects for special moves, all handcrafted and delivered with pride. The music is also original to my knowledge, and it sounds decent, but nothing too memorable, and the animation is absolutely stunning knowing this was all a one-man effort. Definitely a game oozing with charm!

Gameplay

Mofu is a 1v1 fighter, where you pick from one of the characters and jump into the ring in your usual arcade-style gauntlet. You have your four-button fighting style with punches and kicks, and can pull off special moves by performing your typical stick movements. The differing characters each have their own unique moves and play style, with one being very akin to Ryu/Terry, another akin to charge characters, and so on, meaning that you should eventually find an analogue that represents your favorite FGC playstyle.

Combos and special moves are here, as are your traditional super meter moves, all performed in a way akin to classic games, so Mofu doesn’t really try to pull anything new into the equation, but it doesn’t need to, and I found myself picking a main and sticking with it in no time. Going through the gauntlet of stages, each character has their own “final boss” against one of the other fighters, and upon clearing that, their story is done.

Outside of a training mode and local co-op, there isn’t much else to do here. There are some stats to keep track of, but it basically amounts to clearing Arcade mode with all the fighters, something that can be done in no time. The in-game achievements are still nice, but at the end of the day, your replay value will determine heavily based on how much you like fighting the CPU, or if you have friends over to duke it out with.

This game is the most balanced, mind you, since the AI can be pretty darn evil on even the easiest setting, but certain techniques can also break them in two and make them a total pushover (charged attacks and grabs absolutely decimated them for me, especially as Mappo), plus certain characters have way more combo potential than others. Not that I think Mofu was ever aiming to be a balanced FGC game or anything, and I actually think it leads to a unique, Asuka-like charm of sorts, but that is something I feel needs to be duly noted.

Conclusion

In short, Mofumofusensen is a pretty solid fighter, and for a SmileBasic game, it absolutely excels at what the engine provides, going out and being a pretty great game independently! Compared to most of the games I played in SB3, Mofu is pretty high up there, even if it doesn’t have nearly the same amount of replay value that I spotted in a few of the scorechasers up for download.

Still, the in-game omake achievements will give you some minor replay value, and the core loop is fun enough to be well worth the asking price, I feel. This definitely is a good game if you fit the niches that burnsoucou was going for here: whether you’re a Furry that enjoys the character designs here, a fighting game fan that likes to see how one person created a game that manages to be pretty fun, or just someone who appreciates the magic of SmileBasic, Mofumofusensen isn’t a bad start for a self-publishing effort at all!

I give Mofumofusensen a 6 out of 10.