The Way of the Exploding Fist PC

The Way of the Exploding Fist PC is a later PC take on the classic martial-arts fighting formula, built around timing, positioning and knowing when to strike. The name already gives away the game's preferred solution to most problems, but successful play requires considerably more than simply hitting every key at once. Opponents attack from different angles, and learning their movements is essential if you want to survive. The fighting has a distinctly old-school feel, where a well-timed blow is far more satisfying than a complicated combo list containing seventeen button combinations and a doctorate in controller science. As a 2008 Windows release, it arrives long after the original home-computer fighting boom, giving it an unusual retro character. The Way of the Exploding Fist PC is therefore best viewed as a nostalgic homage to a simpler era of martial-arts games, when one perfectly timed punch could solve an entire afternoon.