Two Strikes
Two Strikes takes one more breath—now releasing May 23rd!
We’ve got an important update to share. Two Strikes will now be officially launching on May 23rd, just a few weeks later than planned.
We know delays aren’t easy. You’ve been following this journey with us since the earliest builds, through every patch, every duel, and every new character reveal. So this wasn’t a decision we made lightly. But ultimately, it’s one we believe in.
This extra time is going directly toward what matters most right now: making sure the online experience feels as sharp and responsive as the duels themselves. The heart of Two Strikes has always been that perfect moment—the clash, the parry, the single decisive strike. And when that happens across platforms, with players connecting from all over the world, we want every frame to count.
Yes—all versions of the game will support full cross-platform multiplayer, including the upcoming mobile version through Crunchyroll® Game Vault. Whether you’re playing on PC, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, or soon even on your phone, we want you to be able to fight your friends, rivals, and the world—together.
To help make this a reality, we’re launching online multiplayer testing this weekend, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. Your feedback will help shape how Two Strikes feels when it finally drops in May. Details will be available on our official Discord, so make sure to join us there.
Meanwhile, we’re polishing every frame, refining the story mode, and making sure that when Two Strikes arrives, it hits with the weight and precision it deserves.
Thank you, truly, for your patience, your encouragement, and your support. We can’t wait to cross swords with you soon.
Entalto Publishing & Retro Reactor
Two Strikes is leaving Early Access on April 25th!
And yes — there’s also a physical edition for PlayStation 5, arriving the same day in both North America and Europe, with pre-orders available now through select retailers.
From the very beginning, your feedback, passion, and dedication have helped shape Two Strikes into what it is today. The full release will introduce crossplay online matchmaking, an expanded story mode that dives into the fighters’ backstories, and all the sharp, high-stakes action you’ve come to love — where duels can end in just one or two hits. Master your timing, read your opponent, and strike with precision.
The online mode includes rollback netcode — a huge win for everyone!
Also, with the full launch, the base price will increase to $19.99 — so make sure to grab it before April 25!
Created by Retro Reactor Games and published and co-developed by Entalto Publishing, Two Strikes brings hand-drawn 2D combat to life with a striking art style inspired by the Sengoku period of Japan. Choose from eight distinct warriors, each with their own unique fighting style, and test your skill in both multiplayer and single-player modes.
And for mobile players — the fight is coming to Crunchyroll® Game Vault soon, with full controller support and exclusive access for Crunchyroll® Premium Mega and Ultimate Fan members.
This launch is as much yours as it is ours. You’ve been here since the beginning — now it’s time to bring it all home.
🗓️ Mark your calendars: April 25
⚔️ Sharpen your skills. Challenge your rivals. Prove your worth.
📦 Physical PS5 pre-orders are open now!
Thank you for being part of this journey.
We’ll see you on the battlefield.
Retro Reactor Games & Entalto Publishing
Two Strikes netcode is close to be ready.
We are working like crazy to finish the netcode for the game, so we can finally apply the game for consoles. I've never imagined implementing a good online net code would be so difficult, especially if you think about cross-play, but we are almost there.
We started performing long test sessions to find all the bugs in the online implementation and to fix any weird behavior that we could find. The good news is: that latency, rollback frames, and package loss were very very rare problems. Most of the initial testing showed that just normal implementation bugs were found but that also affected the online play.
We are working on those now and will continue with the testing for the next couple of weeks until we are finally ready to do a weekend of testing with you. I will let you know when we get closer to that. On top of that we are working to get certified for Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation so we can release the game on the same day for all platforms.
The bad news is that, unfortunately, we will not be able to release the game with ranked matches, only with casual online matches. You will be able to create a room and let your friend join as well. But we are planning on adding this feature as soon as we release the game, so don't worry, we will have it.
Ink Inside: The "Ending Update" + Q&A
Today, we’re here to address them with a new updated version of the game, tailored to meet everyone’s expectations!
After all, you are the reason we make games, so how could we not?
Let’s dive into the Q&A!
1. Can we stream Ink Inside? Is there any copyright restriction or anything we should be aware of?
There are no copyright restrictions to streaming ink inside!
Our music is all original, and yours to stream as you like!
2. Is the game finished? Is Ink Inside a complete experience?
YES.
However, there's been some confusion about the ending of the game...
Currently, after beating the game, there's a “teaser” cutscene of what the next game in the series will look like. This teaser also plays just after the credits. (This has been changed in this version!).
So if you happened to not understand that cutscene as a teaser, then it would feel like the game would be ending abruptly since the credits play after it.
3. Wait... Next game in the series? Will Ink Inside have sequels?!
YES!
We have a lot more story we want to tell...
In total we wrote 3 "seasons" of content. This is because the story of Ink Inside was originally written as a cartoon show for Nickelodeon! So the pacing of that story was broken into 3 seasons worth of material.
INK INSIDE follows the story of "season 1," which is a 9-10 hour long game, or the equivalent of about 24 half-hour-long episodes of a cartoon show.
While we would LOVE to have all 3 seasons done immediately for launch, that would only be possible on a AAA budget for a AAA price. Instead, as a small indie team, we had to decide between prioritizing the quality of the gameplay experience, or the length of the story. So rather than making an alright game with 36 hours of great story, we made a really fun game with 10-12 hours of great story - one that we could readily make some even fun-ner sequels to. (For a $20 price, much less than AAA)!
Which also means - when we make Ink Inside "Chapter 2" - it will not only have more of the story we want to tell - but ALSO new mechanics that you'd want from a sequel!
4. So what exactly is missing from the game?
Only a few story elements.
These are the FEATURES IN THE GAME:
- 2 playable characters (with or without local co-op)
- 3 social area "towns" with NPCs and dozens of side quests
- 3 major "dungeon" areas with unique combat hazards (only 1 looks like an actual "dungeon" though)
- 15 levels of exp and stats to gain
- 33 unique "jobs" to find, complete, and upgrade your character with as you level
- 14 cores with unique combat perks that trigger on getting a "perfect hit" on an enemy
- 3 "secret" cores with unique-er combat perks (each granting an achievement when discovered)
- 20 agility items that change the way you "dodge"
- 21 tech items that change the way you "catch"
- 50+ treasure chests to find
- 30+ secret areas to find
- 8 special moves
- 4 "Artifacts" that add new features to the game like a "MAP" or mechanics like "Finishers"
- 15+ total minutes of live action cutscenes telling the story of "Hannah" the girl who drew the world and everyone in it
- Full VO for 12+ characters
- 50 Achievements
- Full Soundtrack with 20+ songs
- about 9-10 hours of narrative.
This is the narrative “STORY” IN THE GAME:
- The story of Princess Land + Fuzzville
- Where the “Sog” came from, and how it works on the doodles in the world
- Who Detective Fuzz is, and his backstory
- Who Traff is, and her backstory (concluding in their live action cutscene)
- Who kidnapped (dragon-napped?) Fudge
- Who the Ferret Doodles are and how they run their shops
- What Swamp Splash is, and why there's a dungeon underneath it
- What the Singing Skeleton is, and why it's in a dungeon
- Several NPC's and their stories
This is the narrative "STORY" NOT IN THE GAME:
- An answer to Sticks "mysterious" origins (however there's a huge spoiler to what this is hidden in the game)
- An answer to who Cloak is
- Queen Princesses backstory
- The story of the next two "Notebook" locations (these are for the sequels)
We certainly plan to address these missing story elements in the sequels - but there are quite a few hints about them already in the game - at least enough that we've had a few streamers put parts of it together.
Overall, we certainly don’t want players to feel like we’re giving them an incomplete story, but we’ve also already managed to tell a story far more fleshed out than many other serialized AAA games have before us.
For example, the following games likewise end “unfinished” in their first entries:
- Kingdom Hearts 1 - Who the “Heartless” are, and why the characters were taken into the KH world is never explained.
- Half Life 1 - Science opens a portal to another Dimension. No other plot or character development is provided.
- Assassins Creed 1 - Desmond's narrative, Ezio’s narrative, the alien language teaser, and why the Templars are hunting Assassins is never resolved.
Ink Inside contains MORE narrative exposition than you find in these games. (50,000 words worth, we've counted them!) However, much like these games, INK INSIDE also has a narrative that won’t be fully complete until its sequels are likewise complete.
So! If you did not enjoy how these listed games ended “unfinished” when they were released, then it’s likely you might not enjoy Ink Inside either.
We certainly encourage you to still give INK INSIDE a try!
Ink Inside: First Page is free afterall, and covers the first 2-3 hours of the game. There’s a lot more to enjoy in the full game too!
Overall, we hope you finish INK INSIDE excited to play a sequel, rather than not having any fun playing it at all (until the sequels are done).
And... that's all for today, folks!
We hope these answers clear up any doubts you might have had about INK INSIDE, and that the promise of sequels fills you with excitement for the future!
The journey of Stick, Traff, and the crew has only just begun, and like them, you too are made of the stuff of heroes!
Thank you for always being with us!
Always yours,
Blackfield Entertainment & Entalto Publishing
Bug Fixes
Bug Fixes
- Team Duel mode was broken and is now fixed.
- Tomoe's last piece of lore was not correct.
Unlock lore, steam achievements, cards, badges, emojis and backgrounds!
First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of updates over the past two months. We’ve been traveling to various events throughout September and also took some well-deserved vacation time. Thank you for your patience, and now, let's get started!
**Lore Update!**
I'm thrilled about this update and excited to finally share it with you!
Today, we’re expanding on the lore of our beloved fighters. While you may already know that they were killed and that the Shinigami brought them to fight in the afterlife, you can now understand what happened before that: who they were, how they lived their lives, and how they met their ends. Each time you play in the One Life, One Strike, or Arcade modes, you’ll unlock a new page of lore for the character you played. Some characters have six pages, while others have up to eleven!
Shenyan and Hozoin have much more history than the others, haha.
Additionally, you can now access the Achievement page within the game, which mirrors the one on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1586750/achievements. Here, you can track both the achievements you’ve unlocked and the ones you’re still missing.
But that’s not all! While playing the game, you can also unlock Steam cards, badges, backgrounds, and emojis.
**Other Updates:**
I’ve removed the "Exit" and "Warrior Selection" buttons from the post-match menu. This screen is meant solely for displaying the game score. Since leaving a match mid-game isn’t an option in online play, we decided to apply the same principle to offline play. If you need to exit an offline match or select a different character, simply wait for the match to start and press Pause, which will function normally.
So, have fun and let the collecting begin!
The god of death challenge all the brave souls!
The lore of this game is quite rich. Not a lot has been revealed, yet, but this is the point we are finally starting to make sense of all this nonsensical blood shedding.
The Shinigami is the god of death. He is known for inviting humans to the Japanese afterlife. An invitation to what, you ask?
A tournament.
Only a couple of selected warriors were invited by the Shinigami to a ghostly competition. That's right. All the characters in Two Strikes are already dead. There are a lot of clues in the art, I wonder who noticed.
The Shinigami's motivation is quite unclear. Is he just bored? You have to play the future story mode to find out.
Gameplay
The Shinigami is the boss of the game. He will not be a selectable, playable character.
He is a shapeshifter. He decided to take what he considered the best attacks of each character. So yes, he can transform himself into any of the 8 playable characters:
Weak Attacks
- Kenji, Ayai, Goemon and Hozoin.
Strong Attacks
- Tomoe, Yasuke, Shenyan and Miyo.
He has the same anticipation for all these attacks, making it very difficult to predict what is coming.
Also, he can cancel any attacks, so be on the lookout for feints as well.
With art made by Tulio Mendes, I hope you enjoy this new addition to the Two Strikes Universe.
Bug Fixes
- One Strike mode works again.
Small Patch / July 2nd
The Story Mode is not finished. I accidentally left it unlocked. I hope this doesn't upset you too much.
It will be back once I finish it.
Thank you for your understanding,
Danilo Barbosa
Biggest Discount to Date! Bug Fixing and Quality of Life features!
Our new character gets some attention in this update. Thanks to the players, we were able to find and fix a lot of the issues with his release.
Bug Fixing
- Fixed bug where Shenyan could not cancel his strong attack into a weak attack or anticipate it if touching the other player.
- Fixed AI to be able to use Shenyan special cancels.
- Improved Shenyan AI behavior from Level 3 and 4 for more exciting to play.
Goemon - Fixed bug that Goemon couldn't throw a kunai after being perfect parried.
Yasuke - Fixed bug where his head collider was acting a little crazy.
Shenyan
Quality of Life
- Added feature to remove the game ending blood jets, from more family play. I'm sorry it took so long to add it.
Buffs and Nerfs
- Shenyan weak attack collider expanded.
Shenyan, The Druken Pirate Steals the Update!
Today is a glorious day for Two Strikes!
The Eighth Character arrives in the game! Shenyan, the Druken Wokou!
Shenyan is an insane character, not gonna lie to you! Don't let his age of Death trick you into thinking he's a nice old man. He is here in purgatory for his insatiable blood lust focused on one thing only: Creating misery for Hozoin. You see, they are long long-time acquaintance, childhood friends. But now, any of this matters anymore. You have to wait for the Lore to be ready to know why, sorry.
Gameplay!
This drunken pirate has one of the fastest walk speeds and dashes in the entire game. He can get in and out like no other.
Shenyan has two attacks, pretty standard. His trickeries are not in different attacks, but using the ones he has to make everyone very uneasy.
Shenyan's weak attack is fast but has the shortest range in the game, although his strong attack is by far the longest-ranged attack in the game, even beating Hozoin's weak attack.
What is Unique About Him?
Shenyan has unique interactions with his Strong Attack. After a start-up animation, he enters a state where he keeps spinning his rope until it is finally released for a powerful attack. During this state, he can:
- Press again Strong Attack to cut it short and release it earlier.
- Press Weak Attack to use it in case an enemy comes too close.
- Dash forwards, to maybe use its Weak Attack.
- Or just dash backward, to start all over.
By the power of drunkness, Shenyan can even break game rules, doing whatever he wants with his strong attack.
Balance Changes
Thanks to the player @Green, that gave invaluable feedback, I decided to give some buffs to Miyo. He felt, just like me, that She was maybe too deep into deception and lacking a little in some practical uses of her dashes. So,
- After the dash forward attack, her recovery has 5 frames less, making her less susceptible to counters.
- Her back dash now doesn't have the "attack preparation" animation, making it a lot more reliable to close up the distance.
We are working in the lore and story mode, so soon you will have these things, but before that, enjoy Shenyan.
