Right of Way is a fencing-based fighting game, named after fencing’s “rule of priority”. In both fencing and 2D fighting games, the concepts are the exact same: distance control, parries, everything. This game combines them.

Except… there are no healthbars. It only takes one hit to score a point.

However, what if both players hit each other simultaneously? The player with right of way scores the point.

The developer

2,200 hours. Several independent projects, intelligent game systems, real-time physics simulations, artificial intelligence enemies, quaternion rotations, graphics shaders, graphic design, 3D modeling, sound design, music composition, marketing, entrepreneur-ing.

I’m the developer of the best fencing-based 2D indie fighting game ever, Right of Way. If you love old 1950’s Akira Kurosawa samurai movies, Olympic fencing, Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, programming, Godot Engine, game development, indie games, HEMA fencing, spriting, art, pixel art, or literally any niche interest, I already made a video about it.

Most fencers began the sport as children. However, I began fencing in high school, and thereby struggled to enter the community. While everyone my age was an expert, I was too old for beginner lessons, and online fencing content was scarce. I stumbled upon the fencing strip far too late. Yet, by shifting my perspective, I quickly rose to my club’s highest level. Simply, I fenced like I was playing the 2D fighting games I grew up on. In both, the concepts are the exact same: distance control, parries, whiff punishes, etc. Surprisingly, despite their similarities, no game combined them.

epee

Therefore, to solve fencing’s daunting learning curve, I created the fencing-based video game Right of Way.
Initially, I only knew programming, which I learned during quarantine. So, I was challenged to absorb a myriad of talents. Over three years, I taught myself countless skills–Python programming, pixel art, game design, sound design, everything to pursue my dream. For example, I’m skeptical of the use of generative AI–especially in programming–so instead of outsourcing my code, I spend sleepless nights scrolling through documentation, looking for a stray comment that may shift my thinking. Then, when I do solve a bug, the joy is immeasurable, and I can sleep having learned something new. After all, why forgo the opportunity to grow; why disrespect myself? Right of Way is the culmination of all I’ve loved, from the fighting games I played as a child to the sport I train for. My game is who I am, and I refuse to give myself up.