A fighting sandbox with creation tools built in
Smack Studio is a sandbox fighting game where the making and the battling live in the same package. You get pixel art characters that you can animate with 3D depth and rotation, the game maps 2D images onto bones in a 3D skeleton so you can drag bones and get smooth movement without redrawing every frame. There are 16 base roster characters and 23 stages, plus one hidden stage. Combat is fast-paced with a focus on smooth game feel and high combo potential, and the default roster's ultras are designed with competitive balance in mind.
Playing together
Offline you can fight with up to 8 players, against friends or CPU opponents. Online versus runs on rollback netcode, currently in beta, for up to 4 players. A group can also use Remote Play Together to join in, and there is local multiplayer on the same machine. Any DirectInput or XInput controller works, including GameCube controllers through the official Nintendo adapter, the MayFlash USB adapter, or similar products.
Making your own characters and stages
The character editor lets you take an idea to a fully playable character in under 30 minutes using a template or a community-made character. You animate frame by frame for polish, add custom projectiles and special effects, and attach functionality through actions added directly to your animations, a simple form of coding. Stage creation is built in as well, and there is a level editor. Steam Workshop support lets you share your creations and pick up an endless supply from other people.
Before you start
The game is in Early Access during a testing period, with rapid improvements coming and feedback taken from the community on Discord. The tools also export sprites so you can use them in your own projects: the maximum canvas size is currently 256x256 pixels, and the ideal character height is 50 to 150 pixels tall. Images well outside those ranges can still be used, but they are harder for the 3D algorithm and may need manual cleanup after export. Smack Studio is more performance intensive than most pixel art animation software because of the 3D rotation and Unreal Engine integration, so check the hardware recommendations. The developers hold no legal claim over any IP you create in the game.