DiveKick is a 2D fighting game with a big and simple twist to its battle system, the twist being that only two buttons are used during gameplay. One button corresponds to Dive while the other is used for the mid-air kicks. The game does feature a health bar the top of the screen for each respective character, although this is purely cosmetic, as a single hit will drain all of the health.
Specific Mechanics
Kick Factor
The Kick Factor is a comeback feature displayed by a meter on the bottom of the screen, that fills as the player kicks throughout combat (whether it connects or not). Once the meter is full, the player can activate the mode by pressing the kick button. This mode gives the character a few boosts, such as increased speed and better kicks.
Concussion
A concussion occurs if a player is divekicked in the head by their opponent. Once the next round starts, the player who was kicked in the head will have a concussion status. This status lowers the players speed and jumping height, as well as emptying the kick gauge.
Gems
Gems are special boosts to player’s stats, and is similar to the gem system introduced in Street Fighter X Tekken. One gem allows for increased kick speed, while another gives increased jump speed. Besides these two, there’s a gem that increase the kick meters refill rate, as well as a gem that increases all stats, though the player is required to win every round for the effects to continue to take effect.
Hold the Line
Hold the Line is a mechanic that was created to prevent draws. Once the timer for the round is near the end, a red colored line will appear and whichever player is the closest to it will win the round. If both players are at the exact same distance, they will both lose.
Game Modes
Story Mode
A story mode is available for each of Divekick's thirteen characters. Each story begins with a comic-book style cutscene composed of mostly-still images briefly explaining the characters backstory.
The character will then progress through a typical ladder-style story in which they face one opponent at a time. Three times over the course of the story, the character will have a direct conversation with an opponent using speech bubbles. At the end of the story mode, a comic-style cutscene similar to the opening will play showing the characters life after the Divekick tournament.
Competitive Play
Divekick offers two modes of competitive play, one being local two-player play and the other being both ranked and non-ranked online play. Online play is powered by GGPO netcode and features leaderboards for each individual character, as well as an overall one.
