Arcane Fist is an upcoming 3D arena brawler featuring elemental combat that plays more like a hero shooter than a technical fighting game. This title has been in development for over three years now and has built a passionate fanbase of Avatar, Marvel, and former Spellbreak fans who crave a tight, competitive, and stylish elemental brawler.
Since that reveal, a water and earth character have been added to the game, with a secret fourth character still planned before launch later this year. We caught up with Keene, the solo developer of Arcane Fist, to learn more about the project.
The Game Slayer: Was Arcane Fist inspired by any older titles?
Keene: My earliest inspiration for Arcane Fist was the game Spellbreak. When I first played it, I thought the elemental combat, movement, and art style all came together to make such a beautiful and unique game. As a first-time game dev, I knew I wouldn’t be able to replicate something that took an entire studio to create, but I felt like if I could capture even a piece of that elemental brawler magic I felt while playing Spellbreak, then I’d have an interesting game on my hands.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ve tried to take bits and pieces from my favorite games and put them together in my own unique way. When people ask me how I’d describe Arcane Fist, I tell them to imagine the exciting elemental combat of Spellbreak, the high-octane pacing of Rocket League, and the damage mechanics from Super Smash Bros, all in a vivid stylized anime world. But even with these inspirations, the more I play it with my community, the more it changes and grows into something completely unique. It’s been a really fun journey.
The Game Slayer: What inspired the creation of this game and the characters players can control?
Keene: I’ve spent my entire life obsessed with video games. When I was 11 years old, I taught myself Java so I could write my own custom Minecraft mods. The first code I ever wrote that other people actually used was a custom Harry Potter Minecraft server where you could use sticks to shoot fireballs that would make people explode or take poison damage. That passion led me into a more traditional software development career, but my love for games never faded.
Eventually, I got tired of modding games and decided to make my own. I’d daydream about different game ideas, imagining myself playing them and trying to build the gameplay and world mechanics in my head. My favorite TV show of all time is Avatar: The Last Airbender, which ended up being the main inspiration for the aesthetic soul of Arcane Fist.
The character inspirations are all over the place, rooted in martial arts or their element itself. Nile’s design is inspired by Polynesian seafarers, and his powers come from ancient ocean gods. When I was making Ember, I was drawing a lot of inspiration from Muay Thai fighters, and after watching the kickboxer Mona Kimura fight, I knew I had to give Ember a kick ability, and it’s turned into one of my favorite moves.
The Game Slayer: Tell me more about the elemental brawlers in this game and some of the other cool ideas behind the fighters.
Keene: Every character in my game is a disciple of an elemental god, and they each have a unique playstyle – fire lets you play fast and dynamic, water lets you play calculated and precise, and earth lets you brawl like a heavyweight bruiser. There aren’t explicit combos or timings; you’re given a simple arsenal of abilities, and it’s up to you how you want to chain them together.
Some of the best Ember players will play completely differently: some like to stay mobile and pepper you with fireballs, while some like to use their movement abilities to get in close, suffocate you with kicks, and punish you with the perfectly timed fireball as you try to run away. The idea is for each element to have a central identity, with complete flexibility in how you choose to realize it.
As a team, you need to think about the roles each character plays and how you want to combine your elements to fit with your strategy. Teams that like to fight aggressively for space may lean more towards fire/earth, while teams that like to hang back and play passive will have a more water-heavy team composition.
Aesthetically, all of the elements are rooted heavily in martial arts. I’ve been training Muay Thai, a martial art from Thailand, for years, and it influences how I go about designing moves for my characters. Before I even start writing code, I’ll just pace around my room acting out the moves, trying to figure out what would look interesting or fit the identity of the character.
My fire character, Ember, draws the most influence from Muay Thai, with her chain punch combo and fire kick. I always end up conflicted choosing between what’s more realistic and what looks the most epic on-screen, but usually I end up prioritizing cool factor.
The Game Slayer: What are you hoping players take away from the experience?
Keene: Honestly, I just hope they have a good time. The most rewarding part of this game has been sitting quietly in my Discord server and listening to people from all over the world laugh, scream, whine, complain about the game; however, they may be feeling it’s an incredible feeling to create something that other people genuinely engage with.
I designed Arcane Fist to be easy to learn, but hard to master. I love games that reward you for deeply understanding the mechanics while still giving you room to find your own gameplay style and flair. If you like games that make you sit up in your seat, or you like the feeling of your heart pumping as your team watches you attempt a clutch, this game is for you.
The Game Slayer: Where does the franchise go from here once it’s in players’ hands?
Keene: I already have so many plans for new characters, maps, and game modes to add to the game. Right now, in the early playtest stages, I’m trying to focus on keeping things fun, simple, and bug-free, but it’s hard not to rush ahead and build all the new characters I have in mind.
After launch, I plan to keep adding incrementally, new characters, outfits, maps, and modes. Every new idea and ability is playtested by the community, and their feedback drives a lot of the decisions I make. Even after release, I plan to keep doing this, just coming up with new ideas, putting them in front of the players, and letting them contribute to the direction of the game.
