Fights in Tight Spaces

Fights in Tight Spaces

Always punch the shark.

I’ve been playing this game since the Prologue, and now that a 1.0 release is on the brink of the horizon, I feel compelled to try and convey the experiences I’ve had playing it.

The gameplay captivated me from day one - it was a great mix of positional and situational tactical battles with the additional layer of board-game-style deck management. There’s also some route-planning to consider, but it doesn’t weigh too heavily on the course of your runs - EXCEPT when tackling Daily Play for score maximization. A full run takes about an hour to complete, and you can finish the game much faster with experience.

Real player with 518.0 hrs in game


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Basically, it’s the Elevator fight from Captain America: Winter Soldier. As a card game.

I generally hate card games. I also generally hate rogue-likes. So why have I played so much of this game? FiTS unexpectedly became a big favourite of mine because it actually alleviates a lot of my issues with both

Card games often feel abstract and inscrutable to me. But here the rules are clear and concise, and applied to a concept that you can visually see. You can make so many attacks or moves in a given turn (tied to your “momentum”), and heavier or more esoteric moves can take more time, allowing you to do less per turn.

Real player with 388.8 hrs in game

Fights in Tight Spaces on Steam

Fights in Tight Spaces (Prologue)

Fights in Tight Spaces (Prologue)

Most exciting demo I have played for a very long time. Highly recommended if you are into games like Slay the Spire or Into the Breach. This game has so much potential but I do have a few concerns.

Pros:

  • fighting has a puzzle-like aspect to it, planning your move order really matters

  • great art style and animations

  • some potential for different builds and deck styles

  • it’s very fun. the fights themselves are more entertaining/satisfying than the fights in Slay the Spire, and can occasionally even tell little emergent stories (like the incompetent gunman who kills his whole squad by accident.)

Real player with 26.2 hrs in game


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The design concept alone is enough to give this game a try, particularly because it’s a free demo. Unlike so many tactical, turn-based combat systems which put you in the shoes of a typical fantasy, sci-fi, or modern miltary role, Fights in Tight Spaces put you in a role that we’ve seen in hundreds of movies and games, but (at least to my memory), don’t often get the chance to play in a turn-based format: That of the close-quarters martial arts master. Your Jason Bournes, John Wicks, Bruce Lees, Batmans, etc.

Real player with 12.3 hrs in game

Fights in Tight Spaces (Prologue) on Steam