Ikuzo

Ikuzo is a sword-fighting game built around fair fights: you and your enemies use the same mechanics and start on equal terms. Its complex move-release system combines random shop choices and random character growth. The game can be difficult to learn; you may need to study enemy combos through repeated attempts before mastering the combat.

Combat and movement

You use normal attacks, directional attacks, defense, dodges and running to fight. Dodging can interrupt any offensive or defensive action and cancel attack recovery. Holding defense during gaps in an enemy combo can interrupt it, while careful timing can trigger a precise defense. During the footsies stage, patience and distance matter: ineffective attacks against a defending enemy leave an opening for a counterattack, and a mistaken combo is a cue to pull away. Combos keep an enemy staggered; if it breaks out of the stagger, the combo has failed. Enemies have less counterattack ability while suspended in the air, and attacks lift grounded enemies less than airborne ones: a grounded enemy can rise 2 meters, compared with 4 meters in the air.

You can also push enemies back, use a health bottle that restores 20% of maximum health, and interact with objects. Backstabs and the grappling hook must be unlocked; the hook can help you find treasure chests scattered through the scenes, which improve your abilities. Wall climbing is another unlockable ability. You can wait three seconds to return to the starting point if you become stuck, and use an optimization option to improve the frame rate.

Challenges and skills

F2 lets you take on boss challenges. Bosses in challenge stages are stronger than those in the main stages and appear in superior or inferior environmental scenarios. TAP shows your unlocked skills and their button inputs.

The game provides two example combo sequences:

• Left click × 4 → W + right click → left click × 2 → S + right click → left click × 2 → W + right click
• Left click × 3 → W + right click → left click × 3 → S + right click → left click × 2 → S + right click → left click × 2 → W + right click

These combos can be chained continuously, though the number of hits varies with the fight. Precise timing can improve their effect.