Rounds

Rounds (2021) is a frantic fighting game where small weaponised stick men battle each other with special abilities in physics-based levels. Two players choose gun and character ability cards then jump and shoot around the levels to counter each other's attacks. It stands out for the physics-based movement that players master to out-manoeuvre and out-attack their opponents.

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Set in random arenas, you play small stickmen who must survive and outlast their opponents. As you fight you pick up ability cards offering game-changing powers like increased health or homing bullets. The catch is that you can only fire your gun a few times before you have to reload, giving your opponent an opportunity, and making each bullet count.

Progression is determined by how quickly you can take out your opponent while using your power-ups to your advantage. As both players gain ever more powerful abilities things quickly get frantic as the overwhelming speed of attacks ramps up.

The result is a shift from the classic spray-and-pray games. Here it's not just bullets that count but the complex ability and weapon upgrades that require strategy rather than quick trigger fingers.

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Our examiner, Will Oster, first checked Rounds 7 months ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 12 weeks ago.