About Umbral Core
Umbral Core is a 2.5D fighting game set in a world of dark high fantasy. Developed by the passionate indie team at A Few Rounds Games, this project brings together the strategic depth of classic fighters with a rich narrative world imbued with gothic vibes and dark fantasy themes.
The Vision
Amidst the darkness and depravity of a twisted world lies the namesake of the game, the Umbral Core. An artefact of a bygone era; perpetuating the cycle of suffering for generations to come.
We gathered inspiration from legendary fighting game titles such as Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, and King of Fighters. After developing our original mechanics, we decided to bring it all together to create our own unique fighting game experience.
As great fans of lore-deep works, we designed a rich narrative world inspired by the Souls series, Castlevania, and Berserk. While dark themes are very appreciated in other genres and media, they haven't been explored too much in modern fighting games.
Gameplay Philosophy
Gameplay-wise, we felt the need to blend together the rationality of Street Fighter and the fast pace of Guilty Gear, with an engaging flow that alternates spacing and explosiveness. We strive to achieve a deep combat system that rewards:
- Resource Management: Strategic use of your character's abilities and meters
- Creative Expression: Open-ended combo system allowing for personal style
- Strategic Depth: Multiple layers of decision-making in neutral and pressure situations
- Accessibility: Easy to learn fundamentals with room for mastery
Development Journey
Umbral Core started out as a passion project between 2 long-time best friends back in July 2020, but quickly took a very professional twist as we managed to spark the interest of extremely talented professionals around the world. After gathering a lot of ideas and inspiration, we eventually decided to bring it all together and dive in the toughest and most exciting challenge we've ever faced: developing our dream fighting game.
Key Milestones
- July 2020: Project start with gameplay mechanics and art direction concepts
- September 2020: Development begins, art director joins the team
- December 2020: Preliminary build with basic mechanics and first character concepts
- March 2021: Team expansion with environment artist, animator, VFX artist, and netcode implementation
- June 2021: Full team assembled with character modeler, sound team, and illustrator
- October 2021: Major asset production begins with first character model and stage
- January 2022: First playable build with reworked game engine
- December 2022: Alpha build with complete gameplay mechanics
- May 2023: Advanced training features, tutorial, and online functionality
- September 2023: Ready to pitch to publishers and investors
Technical Features
- Rollback Netcode: Seamless online play with minimal latency
- Uncapped FPS: Smooth 60+ FPS gameplay on capable hardware
- Cross-Platform Play: Fight opponents across different platforms
- Comprehensive Training Mode: Advanced tools for learning and improvement
We're very proud of what we're doing, and we sincerely hope you'll appreciate and enjoy Umbral Core as much as we do. We count on you to keep the development going and make it happen!
Want to stay updated? Join our Discord community and follow us on social media for the latest development news and behind-the-scenes content.
- Individual Playstyles: Multiple viable approaches to combat
- Creativity and Expressiveness: Freedom to develop your own fighting style
- Technical Depth: Advanced mechanics for competitive players
- Accessibility: Engaging combat for players across all skill levels
The Roster
The initial roster includes 8 unique characters with deep and complex designs. All relevant fighting archetypes are represented throughout the roster to appeal to all kinds of playstyles:
- Rushdown fighters for aggressive pressure
- Zoners for strategic spacing control
- Grapplers for close-range domination
- All-rounders for balanced gameplay
- Technical characters for execution specialists
Technical Features
Umbral Core presents many quality-of-life features that enhance the game experience:
Rollback Netcode
The best network solution for fighting games. We've implemented a GGPO-based netcode to make online matches as smooth as possible. You also have the option to manually set the desired online input delay.
Uncapped FPS
Umbral Core is the first fighting game to feature uncapped rendering FPS. This means that frame data and combat system will behave just like regular fighting games, but the game flow will be much smoother.
Advanced Customization
- Ultra-wide support: Enjoy the stages at their best when playing on Ultra-wide screens
- Keep player symmetry: Choose between classic 2D mirrored stance and 3D symmetrical stance
- VFX skins: Each palette has its own set of VFX colors that you can freely mix and match
Training & Analysis Tools
- In-game frame data: Detailed frame data including startup, active, recovery and advantage frames
- Visible hitboxes: Clearly see all hitboxes, hurtboxes and pushboxes to analyze ranges and interactions in detail
Game Modes
Experience Umbral Core through multiple game modes:
- Story Mode: Dive deep into the narrative world and uncover the mysteries of the Umbral Core
- Online Versus: Battle players worldwide with rollback netcode
- Offline Versus: Local matches for friends and family
- Training Mode: Perfect your combos and strategies
- Tutorial: Learn the fundamentals and advanced techniques
- Trials: Master character-specific challenges
Art Direction
Umbral Core's art direction aims at a stylized dark fantasy addition to the fighting game genre. The inspiration was pulled from ranges of Eldritch horror to the more traditional grim dark fantasy, creating a unique visual identity that stands out in the fighting game landscape.
"Where shadows clash and legends are forged."