Do you like fighting games, but feel overwhelmed by the cognitive load associated with playing them?

Do you enjoy the concept of one-on-one strategy, but find yourself daunted by systems and mechanics that never seem to end?

Do you like big flashy moments of back-and-forth competitive action, super moves, and edge-of-your-seat plays, but dislike the extreme technical dexterity and eidetic memory demanded by unforgiving input parsers and combo systems?

Then you should play WindJammers 2!!

Now that my sensationalist and frankly exaggerated words have gotten your attention, first please forgive me. Second, let me explain.

Windjammers 2, also known as Flying Power Disc 2, is the 2022 sequel to the 1994 Neo Geo arcade game Windjammers.

At first glance, it appears to be a sports game. The basic premise is as follows: Two players occupy opposite halves of a court. The players throw a flying disc across the center divide at each other - And at the back of the court is a goal, divided into three and five point zones. If a player manages to throw a disc into the goal behind their opponent, they score the associated number of points. The first to fifteen wins the set. Gameplay is best of three sets.

That's it.

And yet, that's not really it.

In practice, the gameplay is fast-paced and action-packed. The disc ricochets off the court walls, and other obstacles. Player mobility and strength make the game one of positioning and speed. Players can "bunt" the disc to fall just short of the divide if their opponent is playing to close to the goal, or lob the disc to toss over the opponent's head should they be playing too far forward. Also, players can block shots to "pop up" the disc into the air, allowing them to charge a super move beneath it for extra power and a splash of showy finesse.

While Windjammers 2 is not a fighting game in the literal sense, it is a direct competition between two players that engages heavily with reaction, prediction, and mind games. No one in Windjammers is throwing out a roundhouse or a Haoh Shoukou Ken, but the contest between participants is nevertheless highly reminiscent of the manner in which fighting game players clash. Instead of the high/low mixup being literally high and low attacks, instead a player can high/low mixup by throwing to the top or bottom of the screen.

All of the players have more or less the same tools at their disposal, even if those tools take different shapes. But this is more or less what makes Windjammers 2 great - It's extremely a "Pick up and Play" game. The basics of the controls and the concept of the game are very easy to learn, and more or less difficult to fully master. But even if you're not engaging with the game at the highest level, it still feels tense, fair, and utterly thrilling to get into a good rally with an opponent. The simplicity of the controls makes it easy and fun.

Admittedly, some of the controls and deeper mechanics of the game can feel... cryptic at times. There's a "How to Play" section of the game that will readily get you started and tell you all you need to understand to really enjoy any match. However there are a lot of peculiar hidden technical details that aren't explained, and furthermore, aren't obvious. These elements of the game can feel nebulous, but at the same time, those details also don't feel essential to playing.

The game is not perfect by any stretch. But it is accessible, and fun.

There's a pretty nice roster at this point, featuring quite a few characters with differences in their speed (self explanatory) and strength (which influences knockback and throw power). While each character has a unique "super" move they can deploy, these largely take a back seat to the more standard mechanics owing to how predictable those supers can be (and thus easy to return or block). But the super moves are still really fun to look at, and really tight exchanges filled with multiple returned supers can be nail biters.

Overall, Windjammers 2 is an extremely fun game. I don't think it's legitimately a replacement for fighting games, but I do think it delivers a lot of what fighting games promise. And it does so in a far more accessible package! It's easier to get into the zone with Windjammers and start a legitimate back and forth with your opponent when you don't have to worry about precise combo timings and/or input strings.

I just wish more people were playing the game, because I will admit that it is not well populated online. It would be awesome to play this game with folks, but as it is, it'd require some kind of pre-arranged game night, or something similar. So, in the interest of honesty: Buyer Beware if you are thinking of grabbing this one - You're either going to need to be okay with Arcade mode, or else you're going to need at least one friend who also has the game and is available to play it when you are. I still think this game is great for couch co-op, and it is an absolutely stellar hit as a party game in my experience. People get to rotate in and out, and Windjammers 2 is almost as much fun to spectate as it is to play - particularly when a rally gets heated. People literally shout when matches get crazy, and it's fun.

Anyhow. That's my rambling pitch for a game that came out in 2022 and is already long forgotten. It's fun! You can usually find it on sale! I have a distant and vague dream about hosting a tournament of some kind for it one day! That will never happen! But I still hope you check it out and enjoy it!

Oh, and one last important point:

There is a dog frisbee mini game.