Your Only Move is HUSTLE – Bullet Chess with Oki

Your Only Move is Hustle or YOMIH is a turn based fighting game with an impressive amount of depth. In any given turn you have dozens of options to choose – from Directional Influence to Roman Cancels. A lot of love and dedication was put into making this game.

Passion can be found in almost every aspect of YOMIH. The focus was definitely put into the game mechanics and character balance most of all. The artstyle is of a classic stickman game you’d find on Addicting Games or Stick Figure Death Theater (RIP). It’s a choice I greatly appreciate, as stick figure animations have been phased out for more complex animation styles.

Your Only Move is Hustle is a love letter to fighting games.

Pretty much any legacy fighting game mechanic can be found in YOMIH. There’s so many options to choose from I can see it being overwhelming to a fighting game newbie.

Plenty of time spent in practice is a must to get the feel of how the character flows, as well as how all these mechanics will actually work in a match. This is fun in itself, trying to beat your own decisions is a unique and refreshing way to learn a fighting game. While it could certainly be done in a typical fighter, it flows so much smoother in YOMIH.

The character balance is being carefully maintained.

The sole developer, Ivy Sly; is dutifully involved in achieving the best possible state the game can be in. Since the game is turnbased, character/system knowledge and pure cunning is the name of the game. This I can imagine, creates a unique balancing philosophy.

Mods like homebrew characters and stages are available, which could turn the game into sort of a grab bag of balance. I’m sure the more polished characters are fairly tuned, but this makes me wonder what the standards are – if any.

YOMIH is nerve wracking in the best way possible.

This game is incredibly stressful, but also a huge rush when the decisions have been made and it’s time to watch it play out. Your reward is a brief skirmish that resembles something like Xiao Xiao or anything made by Terkoiz.

But the planning phase feels like defusing a bomb. The suspense of being in the middle of the battle is not lost just because time has stopped. More time to think means more options to consider. How to adjust the DI, what the opponent can do to counter or even if to block or not. YOMIH doesn’t let you rely on muscle memory – you must decide on several options before pulling the trigger.

Your Only Move is Hustle is a unique twist on fighting games thats worth checking out.

Your Only Move is Hustle brings a fresh spin on the traditional fighter. I would especially recommend it to people who are not a fan of the reaction or mechanical aspects of the genre. Or if your looking for a fresh perspective; YOMIH could be what you’re looking for. The focus on frame data and predicting your opponent (aka yomi) can be a great help to understanding those concepts.

What surprises me is that this style of game isn’t more popular. Fighting games are often criticized for their barrier to entry. YOMIH however, has a beginner experience similar to chess. The lack of mechanical skill needed also removes the need for route input practice. You’ll never “drop” a move and only drop a combo if you choose wrong – or your opponent chooses right.