A retro fantasy beat'em'up with RPG systems
MannaRites is a 2.5D fantasy beat'em'up in the style of the old arcade classics, with loot and character progression layered on top. You explore an open map on Ijmeria Island, pick your own path through it, and fight through armies of enemies that each have their own behavior and combat moves. Between fights you find weapons, armor and items to equip, gain experience, and spend it on perks, skills and combat moves that shape how your hero plays. Combat is skill-based: special moves, throws and blocks all matter, so button mashing runs out of steam quickly. The story is carried by NPCs, quests and fully voiced dialogues, with an original soundtrack running underneath.
Playing together on the couch
The game supports couch co-op, so a second player can drop in locally and work through the campaign alongside you. Remote Play Together is also listed as a Steam feature, which lets a friend join over the network as if they were sitting next to you. Both players pick from the same four heroes, so you can cover each other's weaknesses: Jale the Warrior handles melee with swords, axes and maces; Aryss the Acrobat is quick and agile with boomerangs, sabers and daggers; Pogrom the Magus casts offensive and defensive sacred Ijmerian magic and carries staffs, wands and spellbooks; Mira the Ranger has a pet falcon, fires charged arrows, and uses short bows, longbows and bladed bows. Splitting roles like melee and ranged makes the shared loot easier to share out.
Before you start
Three difficulty levels are available, aimed at new players, veterans and hardcore players, so pick the one that matches your group before you commit to a run. The setting is dark fantasy with a minimalist, pixel-art look, and the game notes that its world deliberately skips the usual elves. Expect a singleplayer experience that opens up into co-op rather than a competitive multiplayer mode. Progression is tied to finding gear and learning moves, so early runs are as much about collecting and experimenting with weapons and perks as they are about clearing enemies.