''Justice Duel'' is a

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

developed and published by

Mega Cat Studios Mega Cat Studios is an American video game development and publishing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 2015 by James Deighan, Nick Mann and Zack Manko. Mega Cat develops and publishes games for modern platforms and VR (vi ...

. It was released on the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

in 2017. Players battle one another while riding cybernetically enhanced eagles. The game plays similarly to

Joust Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponent w ...

Gameplay

The player controls a

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

version of a past

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

riding a cybernetically enhanced eagle to duel either against other human players or the game's AI. The player duels by firing projectiles at their opponents; a level is completed once there are no remaining opponents. Players can pick up power-ups in the form of mines and traps to use against opponents. Justice Duel supports multiplayer for up to four players through the

NES Four Score The NES Four Score is a multitap accessory created by Nintendo in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Select games can utilize it to enable up to four-player gameplay. The NES Four Score is similar to the previously introduced NES Sate ...

Development

Besides Joust, the game's developers cite

TowerFall ''TowerFall'' is an action indie video game created by Maddy Thorson through her company Matt Makes Games. In the game, players control up to four archers in a multiplayer platform fighter. It was released on the Ouya microconsole in June 201 ...

and

Balloon Fight is an action video game developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The original arcade version was released for the Nintendo VS. System internationally as ''Vs. Balloon Fight'', while its Nintendo Entertainment Syst ...

as having inspired elements of the game's design.

Evercade Release

Mega Cat Studios released Justice Duel in a compilation cartridge for the

Evercade The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by UK company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Development began in 2018, and the console was rel ...

, along with several other titles from the studio, including Little Medusa,

Log Jammers ''Log Jammers'' is a sports video game published and developed by Mega Cat Studios. It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System and is scheduled to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in 2020. ...

, and

Coffee Crisis ''Coffee Crisis'' is a game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Microsoft Windows, developed and published by Pittsburgh-based company Mega Cat Studios. The console version was released on February 24, 2017, as a physical cartridge with printed m ...

Child's Play Edition

In 2018, Mega Cat Studios released a special edition of Justice Duel to raise money for the charity Child's Play; it debuted at

PAX East PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX was ...

and was part of the Omegathon tournament. This special edition of the game features two additional playable characters: Della and Rod, who ride a duck and a quail, respectively.

Reception

''Justice Duel'' has received a generally positive reception from the press, being praised for its aesthetic and fast paced gameplay.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://megacatstudios.com/pages/justice-duel 2017 video games Birds in popular culture Cyborgs in fiction Fictional presidents of the United States Homebrew software Indie games Mega Cat Studios games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Platform games Unauthorized video games Video games developed in the United States