A new challenger appears and it’s surprisingly good.

I’ve always enjoyed a fun fighting game. I’ve played most of them in my life, and while I respect them all, Street fighter has always been the king for me. Of course, I love to give them all a shot, no matter what kind it may be, the more technical fighters or the ultra fast button combination games. Battle High 2 A+ may appear simple in its look and feel, and even in actual game play it has some easy to learn and adapt mechanics, but it can actually be a very complex and engaging.

So, originally, Battle High 2 was an Xbox Live Indie game that was released on the 360 back in 2013. I had never played it before, so I really had no idea what I was getting into with BH2A+. The A+ is a slightly updated version of it for the Xbox One as a full release title.

Platforms: XB1
MSRP: $4.99
Price I’d pay: $4.99

Consisting of 14 characters, BH2A+ is a four button fighting game that consists of both light and strong punches and kicks. There is also a button dedicated to an overhead attack and a button for throws. In many senses, it feels much like Street Fighter mixed with some King of Fighters.

There is a special meter that fills up with each attack and hit that can be used. Each character has a super move that does good damage and uses up most of the meter. It can also only be used when the meter is full.

There is a good variety of characters to try out; some that rely on projectile attacks, some that are charge characters, and some that are all about the rush down. It works in a number of ways, and actually surprised me with the amount of variety there was in this small title I had never heard of before. Each special move was simple enough to pull off; usually with a quarter circle motion or a backwards Z motion like a Dragon Punch, and many combos can be extended with a dash cancel.

As far as modes go, there is a story mode that players can take on and see each character’s storyline with some simple dialog scenes thrown in. There is standard versus matches with local play, a training mode, and a challenge mode that can help players learn each individual moves as well as combos. It’s a decent little package that can actually help the player learn the game. Unfortunately, there is no online play, so having fighting game friends over is a must.

When doing the challenge mode, this is where I started to see how the game can very well be a complex fighter despite the simplistic look of it all. I had no idea dash cancels were even in the game after trying out the story mode. Seeing the combos the game suggested in the challenge mode really set the stage for everything I could do with each character, and with only a four button set up, they were never overly complicated and rather easy and fun to execute.

The art style is that of a 2D fighter in the SNES. It is pixilated in some ways, but fits in with the entire feel of the game. It feels like a fighter from the late 90’s, and looks like one from the early 90’s. It works and has a decent amount of charm to go along with it.

For five bucks, you get a pretty decent fighting game on Xbox One that you and some fighting game friends can have a fun time with. It is unfortunate to see no online play as this game would greatly benefit from it, but I could see a small grassroots scene for this game at local tournaments if enough people give it a shot, and for the price and what you actually get, I think it’s well worth it.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.