How to play Strike District

What a 2D fighting game is

A 2D fighting game puts two fighters face to face on a flat stage, seen from the side. Each has a health bar; your attacks empty the other one. A match is a few short rounds, and the fighter who wins most of them takes it. Under the bright surface the genre is a game of timing and distance: every attack takes time to start, hits for a moment and then leaves you open, and the better player is the one who knows when to attack, when to block and when to wait.

Playing Strike District on AllFun

AllFun Strike District is a cartoon-style arcade fighter with no blood or gore. Pick one of four fighters, Mara Voss, Leon Arden, Tessa Wren or Niko Vale, and fight the computer at Easy, Normal or Hard, another player with Play Online, or a friend with Play with a friend. On a phone the game plays sideways: the left buttons walk and jump, the right ones guard, jab, kick and fire the special. On a computer, A and D move, W jumps, J jabs, K kicks, L guards and I or Space fires the special; a gamepad works too. More games for two are on our two-player games page.

The rules

Rounds and health

A round lasts 60 seconds. Empty your rival's health bar to win it, or have more health left when the clock runs out; a tied round is played again. The first fighter to win two rounds wins the match.

Startup, active and recovery

Every attack has three parts: the wind-up before it can hit, the moment it can hit, and the recovery when you cannot act. In Strike District a jab winds up in a tenth of a second and reaches short; a kick takes twice as long and reaches further; a special is slower still and hits hardest. A fast move beats a slow one started at the same time.

Blocking

Hold guard to block. A blocked jab or kick costs only a sliver of health, called chip damage, and the attacker is still recovering when you let go, so you can answer. Niko's Anchor Break is the one special that smashes through a guard.

Chains and counters

Press the next attack as soon as one lands and the hits chain: jab, jab, kick, then special, up to four hits. Later hits in a chain do a little less damage. A hit that catches a rival during their wind-up is a counter and does more. A special, the fourth hit of a chain or a hit in the air knocks the fighter down.

Energy and specials

The energy bar grows over time, faster when you land hits, and a little when you are hit. At 40 the special is ready. Each fighter has their own: Mara's Crosswind Rush closes the gap, Leon's Harbor Drive has the longest reach, and Tessa's Skyline Arc also catches fighters in the air.

Six tips for your first wins

1. Block, then answer. When the rival swings, guard. The moment their attack ends, jab: it is the fastest move you have.
2. Play at kick range. Stand just outside the rival's jab and inside your kick. Spacing is half of every fight.
3. Do not swing at air. A missed kick leaves you open for its whole recovery. Attack when the rival is in reach.
4. Start chains with a jab. A quick first hit is the most likely to land, and the chain turns one hit into four.
5. Save energy for a sure special. A blocked special wastes 40 energy. Use it at the end of a chain or to punish a missed attack.
6. Dash in and out. Tap a direction twice to dash in, or to hop back out of reach when the rival commits.

Fighting game FAQ