Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘One Finger Death Punch 2’

“One Finger Death Punch 2” developer Jonathan Flook, who lets us know why the sequel to indie and mobile smash hit is just as awesome in its new form on consoles. A talented developer with plenty of stories to share and a wealth of knowledge, he gives us an inside look at his newest creation.

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Jonathan Flook: Back in 2011, One Finger Death Punch was originally called Your Kung Fu Is Not Strong.  The game was more about cool fight sequences and complex interactions between the enemies and the player.  The concept of our game at that time revolved around difficult stages that were rewarding to complete coupled with a kung fu vibe.  The initial play tests with our friends and family were a disaster.  It was too hard for anyone to enjoy.  The game was so complex that it completely excluded the casual gamer.  All our friend’s reactions were underwhelming.  They felt it was neat, but wasn’t a game they would want to play.

We knew the game was going in the wrong direction. We set out to make a game that shows off awesome kung fu like the film Drunken Master 2. What we created was a gameplay nightmare that showcased nothing but frustration.  

So what do you do when your game goes off the rails?  We took apart the entire code base and basically rebuilt the game from scratch.  The animations remained, but not much else.  What was the result?  A game that plays more like the final fight from the film The One.  It’s a much more furious and intense combat system.  After looking at the rebirth of this game, we realized the title Your Kung Fu Is Not Strong was no longer appropriate for the game.  So we renamed it One Finger Death Punch.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Flook: Development was long, grueling and difficult.  OFDP was originally created in XNA, a programming language that is no longer supported.  We had to transition to Unity 3D which had a big learning curve.  Remaking the entire game from scratch using Unity 3D was laborsome and worth it in the end. It gave us the opportunity to port the game over to many platforms.  So far it’s been four and a half years of development and needless to say we’re pretty exhausted with the whole process.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be headed to consoles?

Flook: Porting to consoles is always stressful and difficult.  We’re very worried about the game’s performance on consoles.  Our goal is to hit a solid 60 FPS at all times, but the game does a lot all at once. It may look simple but there is a lot going on in the background.

It’s nice to bring the game back console players since OFDP1 was originally built on the Xbox 360. It will be nice to have a new generation of players who can try it with a controller.

Review Fix: What lessons were learned in the first game and how did they affect this one?

Flook: It was less about lessons from the first game and more about lack of resources. If a player wants the game to feel fairer, play better, or be more accessible to a certain group, it’s not a design choice to exclude those things.  Most of the time it’s the fact that the two of us simply can’t do it any better with the resources we have.

There are many things I would have changed in OFDP1 but we didn’t have the money, time, or manpower to achieve them.

This time around we can do more with OFDP2 thanks to Unity 3D and longer development time.  We’re pretty much exploring the two-button concept to the max.  The gameplay is packed to the brim with real-time action.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Flook: OFDP2 suffers from the same problem that OFDP1 had.  Don’t judge a book by its cover.  The game’s all about gameplay.  The 1:1 response system is completely unique but it’s something that must be experienced.

Unfortunately, no one can be told what makes One Finger Death Punch 2 special.  You have to play it for your self to see.

Review Fix: What other games influenced this one the most?

Flook: All of our influence came from kung-fu films like Game of Death, Fist of Fury, The One, Drunken Master.  Other video games had no factor in our inspiration.  

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Flook: I think it’s important to make a video game that’s fun or that gives you a particular feeling.  Using the best gameplay mechanics to achieve that is important.  But I wouldn’t use older gameplay mechanics just because it’s well known, or people are accustomed to it.

I don’t think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important.  I think it’s important to use whatever mechanics that work best for the game idea.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Flook: The final stage in Serious Sam: The First Encounter was pretty cool. In King’s Field, jumping off a cliff into complete darkness only to find a new sword at the bottom of what was most certainly death was cool. Playing Total Annihilation online for the first time.  Finding all the gnomes on my own in Plants vs Zombies 2.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Flook: Action fans who want a quick hit of fun will really appreciate OFDP2 in my opinion.  We get right to the point, and we do it as quickly as possible.  People have hundreds of games to play, most are prettier more beautiful that OFDP2.  But we didn’t build the game to compete with all the other games out there.  We built it to be a quick hit of action between games.  A pallet cleanser if you will.  There’s a place for OFDP2 in everyone’s game collection because it’s not competing with any of the other games.


Review Fix:
How do you want this game to be remembered?

Flook: I want OFDP2 to be remembered as the fastest brawler ever made.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Flook: What comes after OFDP2, we don’t know. It depends on how the game does I guess.  If it tanks hard, it could very well be our last game.  If it does well, we would like to try to make a few smaller little games, just as passion projects.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Flook: Thank you for your interest in OFDP2.  I hope to show everyone that simple controls don’t mean a simple game or a mobile game.  

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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