mattrified
@mattrified.bsky.social
Pittburgh-based Indie Dev, Creator of MerFight and soon-to-be 3D fighter, CupKick, Lead Dev of Battle High series, former Lead Technical Design of Drag Her! the Game
(Views my own and not that of any current or former employers/clients. Do I need this?)
(Views my own and not that of any current or former employers/clients. Do I need this?)
Reposted by mattrified
Kotaku is hiring for *three* positions:
- Staff reporter: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Nights and weekends editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Community editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Staff reporter: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Nights and weekends editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Community editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
Kotaku Is Hiring A Staff Reporter
We want your scoops
kotaku.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Kotaku is hiring for *three* positions:
- Staff reporter: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Nights and weekends editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Community editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Staff reporter: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Nights and weekends editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
- Community editor: kotaku.com/kotaku-is-hi...
Reposted by mattrified
Reposted by mattrified
January 20, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by mattrified
Year of the Horse!!!
January 27, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Year of the Horse!!!
sry for double-post; had to fix a type
January 27, 2026 at 3:44 AM
sry for double-post; had to fix a type
I have an odd question but it sort of relates to fg's and popularity of the genre started from the @guilewinquote.bsky.social post -- for older individuals -- were middle school and/or high school peers who did martial arts (strip mall karate mostly) considered cool?
January 27, 2026 at 3:44 AM
I have an odd question but it sort of relates to fg's and popularity of the genre started from the @guilewinquote.bsky.social post -- for older individuals -- were middle school and/or high school peers who did martial arts (strip mall karate mostly) considered cool?
Reposted by mattrified
I’m so bad about sharing work here, but I’m going to try and be better!
Anyway, everyone thank @luckshotgames.com for kicking off the new year with the first truly great game of 2026 🫡
Big Hops is fun to play and feels great to play too.
web.phenixxgaming.com/2026/01/20/b...
Anyway, everyone thank @luckshotgames.com for kicking off the new year with the first truly great game of 2026 🫡
Big Hops is fun to play and feels great to play too.
web.phenixxgaming.com/2026/01/20/b...
Big Hops (Nintendo Switch) Review | Phenixx Gaming
Lockshot Games’ next game, Big Hops, is a 3D platformer starring a charming froggy friend and ’90s charm. Check out Taylor’s review for details!
web.phenixxgaming.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:09 AM
I’m so bad about sharing work here, but I’m going to try and be better!
Anyway, everyone thank @luckshotgames.com for kicking off the new year with the first truly great game of 2026 🫡
Big Hops is fun to play and feels great to play too.
web.phenixxgaming.com/2026/01/20/b...
Anyway, everyone thank @luckshotgames.com for kicking off the new year with the first truly great game of 2026 🫡
Big Hops is fun to play and feels great to play too.
web.phenixxgaming.com/2026/01/20/b...
Yea. Tutorialization in the genre is tough.
Singlenplayer games esp. piecemeal things.. you don't start most games with EVERY weapon, tool, mechanic, etc. available but a fighter that locks stuff based on play time wouldn't go over well imo.
Singlenplayer games esp. piecemeal things.. you don't start most games with EVERY weapon, tool, mechanic, etc. available but a fighter that locks stuff based on play time wouldn't go over well imo.
People usually say "it's the lack of teams" and there is probably something to that, but I honestly think like... Other games, even singleplayer ones, train you for many of these games and their mechanics, while Fighting Games have no real parallel genres to ease people in.
Trying to learn deadlock and I genuinely think it's insane how anyone could think fighting games have an accessbility problem when games like this are 4723458974389574 times more complicated and 854783647862347 times more popular lol
January 27, 2026 at 2:25 AM
Yea. Tutorialization in the genre is tough.
Singlenplayer games esp. piecemeal things.. you don't start most games with EVERY weapon, tool, mechanic, etc. available but a fighter that locks stuff based on play time wouldn't go over well imo.
Singlenplayer games esp. piecemeal things.. you don't start most games with EVERY weapon, tool, mechanic, etc. available but a fighter that locks stuff based on play time wouldn't go over well imo.
Oh yea. I always forget about this too.
It's why I am not a huge long combo fan or of cinematics and why I *tried* to make MerFight less oki focused / opportunities to let players breath and recover after knockdown...how successfully...idk...i made reversals too scary for a period, I know that.
It's why I am not a huge long combo fan or of cinematics and why I *tried* to make MerFight less oki focused / opportunities to let players breath and recover after knockdown...how successfully...idk...i made reversals too scary for a period, I know that.
It's true but also if I pick up a MOBA or shooter I get to interact with the game a bit even if I'm getting destroyed. I hit mobs, I level up, I fire big gun.
If I get bodied in a fighter against someone better, EVEN WHILE EXPERIENCED, there's a good chance I didn't interact with the game at all.
If I get bodied in a fighter against someone better, EVEN WHILE EXPERIENCED, there's a good chance I didn't interact with the game at all.
Trying to learn deadlock and I genuinely think it's insane how anyone could think fighting games have an accessbility problem when games like this are 4723458974389574 times more complicated and 854783647862347 times more popular lol
January 27, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Oh yea. I always forget about this too.
It's why I am not a huge long combo fan or of cinematics and why I *tried* to make MerFight less oki focused / opportunities to let players breath and recover after knockdown...how successfully...idk...i made reversals too scary for a period, I know that.
It's why I am not a huge long combo fan or of cinematics and why I *tried* to make MerFight less oki focused / opportunities to let players breath and recover after knockdown...how successfully...idk...i made reversals too scary for a period, I know that.
It's weird. I troed making this argument once and explaining it in context of literal team sports (like how big soccer is for example) and then someone told me 1v1 tennis is the world's most popular sport...maybe true but...idk...i agree with the OP tho.
My stance for years has been that people bounce off fighting games not because they're uniquely hard, but because they're not team games and are largely noise-free, so you are constantly confronting exactly how good you are, and people fucking hate that. They can't stand it. They crumble.
Trying to learn deadlock and I genuinely think it's insane how anyone could think fighting games have an accessbility problem when games like this are 4723458974389574 times more complicated and 854783647862347 times more popular lol
January 27, 2026 at 12:58 AM
It's weird. I troed making this argument once and explaining it in context of literal team sports (like how big soccer is for example) and then someone told me 1v1 tennis is the world's most popular sport...maybe true but...idk...i agree with the OP tho.
These baby memes r killing me. Tho peekaboo psychosis is still my favorite.
January 27, 2026 at 12:00 AM
These baby memes r killing me. Tho peekaboo psychosis is still my favorite.
Reposted by mattrified
production/geartube but for babies (nothing is different)
January 26, 2026 at 11:23 PM
production/geartube but for babies (nothing is different)
Reposted by mattrified
it's community manager appreciation day!! thankful for all the incredible community managers i know for their empathy, tenacity, and brilliance!!
it hasn't been easy, but i'm proud of my work as a CM for the last 7 months. excited to keep looking after the black tabby & sunset visitor communities 💖
it hasn't been easy, but i'm proud of my work as a CM for the last 7 months. excited to keep looking after the black tabby & sunset visitor communities 💖
January 26, 2026 at 10:25 PM
it's community manager appreciation day!! thankful for all the incredible community managers i know for their empathy, tenacity, and brilliance!!
it hasn't been easy, but i'm proud of my work as a CM for the last 7 months. excited to keep looking after the black tabby & sunset visitor communities 💖
it hasn't been easy, but i'm proud of my work as a CM for the last 7 months. excited to keep looking after the black tabby & sunset visitor communities 💖
When did TicTacs stop being about good breath and just candy?
Probably since orange but the dr. Pepper ones, though tasty, yea...nor helping my breath...
Probably since orange but the dr. Pepper ones, though tasty, yea...nor helping my breath...
January 26, 2026 at 10:16 PM
When did TicTacs stop being about good breath and just candy?
Probably since orange but the dr. Pepper ones, though tasty, yea...nor helping my breath...
Probably since orange but the dr. Pepper ones, though tasty, yea...nor helping my breath...
Reposted by mattrified
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 🐢🍕✨
January 26, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 🐢🍕✨
Reposted by mattrified
The Surprising Physics behind Mommy
January 26, 2026 at 12:51 PM
The Surprising Physics behind Mommy
blog.mattrifiedgames.com/2023/09/the-...
I feel this is slightly relevant to this and the original post.
idk...tough...
I still like making original IP for the genre but I can see why it's so difficult to do well.
I feel this is slightly relevant to this and the original post.
idk...tough...
I still like making original IP for the genre but I can see why it's so difficult to do well.
January 26, 2026 at 7:17 PM
blog.mattrifiedgames.com/2023/09/the-...
I feel this is slightly relevant to this and the original post.
idk...tough...
I still like making original IP for the genre but I can see why it's so difficult to do well.
I feel this is slightly relevant to this and the original post.
idk...tough...
I still like making original IP for the genre but I can see why it's so difficult to do well.
For a sec I thought they meant Jaguar the gaming console.
Being a journalist is sick: I just contacted a pre-eminent jaguar conservationist in Argentine with a question that has been weighing on me for ages and he wrote back right away with an informed answer.
January 26, 2026 at 5:09 PM
For a sec I thought they meant Jaguar the gaming console.
I talk about this concept from time to time and try to keep it in mind.
How long does it take for users to do a "cool" thing in your system?
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
💥Have you heard about Time To Hadoken?
The measure of how long it takes for the user to make the first "cool" thing in your environment?
Timer starts on first load. How fast was it?
The ...
💥Have you heard about Time To Hadoken?
The measure of how long it takes for the user to make the first "cool" thing in your environment?
Timer starts on first load. How fast was it?
The term comes...
www.linkedin.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:06 PM
I talk about this concept from time to time and try to keep it in mind.
Reposted by mattrified
How long does it take for users to do a "cool" thing in your system?
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
💥Have you heard about Time To Hadoken?
The measure of how long it takes for the user to make the first "cool" thing in your environment?
Timer starts on first load. How fast was it?
The ...
💥Have you heard about Time To Hadoken?
The measure of how long it takes for the user to make the first "cool" thing in your environment?
Timer starts on first load. How fast was it?
The term comes...
www.linkedin.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:22 PM
How long does it take for users to do a "cool" thing in your system?
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
Don't waste people's time!
An abstraction of my Time To Hadoken game design term but applied to a broader UX mentality.
Reposted by mattrified
Went back to #BattleHifh2A+Xchange for a bit and almost done with Beat - a grappler no less - so that's good.
I think my current goal is to get every character "done" and then fix all their throws and make sure they work. Then start balancing and tweaking atk data.
Shouldn't take long but idk...
I think my current goal is to get every character "done" and then fix all their throws and make sure they work. Then start balancing and tweaking atk data.
Shouldn't take long but idk...
January 25, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Went back to #BattleHifh2A+Xchange for a bit and almost done with Beat - a grappler no less - so that's good.
I think my current goal is to get every character "done" and then fix all their throws and make sure they work. Then start balancing and tweaking atk data.
Shouldn't take long but idk...
I think my current goal is to get every character "done" and then fix all their throws and make sure they work. Then start balancing and tweaking atk data.
Shouldn't take long but idk...
Ari Aster's Goonies
Jordan Peele's The NeverEnding Story
David Cronenberg's Great Muppet Caper
January 25, 2026 at 4:18 AM
Ari Aster's Goonies
i'll write more about it soon but taking this approach for future indie dev stuff for a bit. (if I haven't already)
January 24, 2026 at 7:10 PM
i'll write more about it soon but taking this approach for future indie dev stuff for a bit. (if I haven't already)