CHOP looks set to become the Mortal Kombat of platform arena fighting games, offering comically brutal and blood splattered multiplayer combat that would give Mario and pals nightmares.
Drawing inspiration from platform fighters like Towerfall, Nidhogg and Smash Bros, as well as the brutal frag fests of DOOM and Quake, CHOP offers a very different take on the platform fighter genre. There are no cute cartoon characters here, CHOP revels in its comic book styled blood splattered glory as players duke it out in hazard-filled arenas, slicing, dicing and making mincemeat out of their opposition.
The current demo build of CHOP features one playable character, four arenas, one special ability and one game mode (Rush Out). It’s playable with up to four players locally and also has bots to play against for lone players. Rush Out is CHOP’s flagship game mode, which requires you to kill another player, then make it to your exit portal without getting fragged in the process. It’s a fun mode that makes for some very fast paced matches and plenty of frantic moments as you attempt to stop your opponent from reaching their exit portals in time.
As well as a full roster of characters, arenas and special moves, the full game of CHOP will feature two more game modes – Last Survivor and Skull Hunter. Last Survivor is more of a traditional last man standing platform fighter, while Skull Hunter sees you killing your opponents to steal their skulls then attempting to drop them in your vortex to score points.
It’s a welcome addition to a genre that’s dominated by cartoon characters and cheery plumbers. Traditional fighting games suggest there’s definitely a market for it too – sure, Street Fighter’s always been the more technically adept fighter, but Mortal Kombat has always been more fun!
Download The CHOP Alpha Demo Here (Windows)