Blood Storm (v2.22)

Mastering Blood Storm (v2.22) is far easier than most 90s arcade fighters, but there are key tricks to dominate every match. First, familiarize yourself with the core control scheme: the four primary attack buttons correspond to your fighter’s left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg, each paired with a direction input to trigger light, medium, or heavy strikes. If your opponent lands a heavy hit on one of your limbs, it will be severed, disabling all attacks tied to that body part—so prioritize blocking high when you see an opponent winding up for a heavy arm strike, and low to defend against leg cuts. Next, learn to use your character’s built-in weapon: each fighter has a unique weapon (from axes to energy blades) that you can activate by pressing both arm attack buttons at once. Weapon attacks deal 50% more damage than standard strikes, but leave you open for a counter if you miss, so only use them when your opponent is stunned after a blocked attack. To trigger a Death Blow finishing move once your opponent is low on health, press all four attack buttons at once while standing within two steps of your foe—each character has three unique Death Blows depending on the direction you hold when activating the move. If you want to unlock the hidden final boss, Talon, beat the arcade mode on normal difficulty without losing a single round, and you’ll get to play as him in all subsequent matches. For multiplayer matches, prioritize cutting off your opponent’s dominant attack arm first: most players rely on their right arm strikes for 70% of their offense, so landing a heavy right arm hit early will leave them severely limited for the rest of the round. Finally, don’t forget to use your Rage Meter: when it is full, your attacks deal double damage for 10 seconds, so save it for when your opponent is above 50% health to secure a quick KO.