What's in the bag

Everything a 3am brawler needs

• 1–16 players online

  Quick Match into a public room, create a private room with a 6-character code, or join your mates by code. Public rooms take joiners mid-run. The more of you there are, the more of them there are, and they take turns to swing at you so nobody gets dog-piled.

• Offline, solo or together

  No signal on the walk home? Play solo with no connection and no account, or local co-op: one phone hosts, and up to 16 of you play over the same Wi-Fi or the host's hotspot, the rest joining with the room code. No internet, no sign-in.

• Bosses

  A boss at the end of every stage. You'll know them when you see them, mostly because they'll be in your way.

• Proper moves

  Straight from the game's How to play:

  Combo

  Attack, Attack, Attack

  Jump Kicks

  Jump, then Attack; + a direction flies

  Run, Dash

  tap a direction twice; + Attack

  Grab, Knees

  walk into an enemy's front; Attack

  Throw, Vault

  back + Attack, or Jump over

  Special

  hits all round: costs 6% HP if it lands

  Forward Special

  forward + Special: also costs 6%

  Block

  hold it: stops light hits in front

  Dodge

  with a direction: roll clear

  Pick Up, Throw

  Attack; Special throws (Block: special)

  Break Free

  mash buttons when grabbed

  Shops

  spend £ at a lit door: up or ENTER

• Specials

  Every fighter has their own all-round special and forward special. Each costs 6% of your health, but only if it lands, and the all-round one will get you out of a tight spot.

• Weapons

  If you can swing it, you can fight with it. If you can lift it, you can throw it with Special: at them, or at the bins.

  • Bottle Lasts 3 hits
  • Traffic Cone Lasts 6 hits
  • Lead Pipe Lasts 10 hits

  …and more lying around.

• Pickups

  Smash bins, cone stacks, crates, phone boxes and newspaper bins to find them. Floored troublemakers drop their cash, too: spend it in the shops that open their doors once the street's clear, while stocks last.

  • Kebab Full health
  • Chips +50% health
  • Water +25% health

  …and more where that came from.

• An FM soundtrack

  Every note comes out of a four-operator FM synth built like the Mega Drive's YM2612, with a PSG for the chips and noise. A track per stage, and a few more for the bits in between.

The route home

5 stages to your front door

1. 

   Stage 1: Last Orders

   Out of Club Inferno's front door and into the rain-slick back streets. Smash the bins and phone boxes for snacks, and save something for whoever's waiting at the end.

2. 2

   Stage 2: not telling ???

   Follow your nose. Look both ways.

3. 3

   Stage 3: not telling ???

   Exact change only.

4. 4

   Stage 4: not telling ???

   Something's hissing down by the water.

5. 5

   Stage 5: not telling ???

   Nearly home. Someone's waiting up.