Reikai Doushi

I make no claims to be well-versed in the world of indie video games or even the sorted histories of well known games. So, reading through this Matt Hawkins piece on Mortal Kombat Clones as the Ultimate Form of Self Expression was a real eye-opener. I don't feel particularly compelled by Mortal Kombat but I do love a cheap knock-off, in just about any more.

Scrubbing through videos of Brief Karate Foolish and Dong Dong Never Die is a bizarre undertaking, while these knockoff Fatality compilations waiver between hilarious and a bit sad.

In the end, I was most pleased to learn about Reikai Doushi, a fighting game done with claymation puppets that pre-dates Mortal Kombat by a few years. It's certainly a bit awkward (and probably worse to play than to watch) but just knowing that it exists is a real treat. Learn more about it, and other clones, here.