FUN FACT: this was originally supposed to be “MLP fighting is magic” with all the MLP main roster and more, but the company that owns them shut it down, so the original creator and artist decided to make all new characters for the new games creators along with a character sheet for each one she made, out of the kindness of her heart
Actually, the creator of the Generation 4 MLP, Lauren Faust, volunteered some of her time to help Mane6 when Hasbro slapped a Cease and Desist on the original game.
And to think, if Hasbro hadn't given them the C&D letter, this might not have gotten this much attention and would've been far too niche and probably quickly forgotten.
@@jac_238 I think Kirby C was moreso getting at the fact that the predators are specifically designed to teach you strategies for fighting against general archetypes and helping you to learn certain things in a far more practical environment then the lab.
when a dev that has not design a fighting games before out perform age old fighting game franchise in introducing game mechanics and tutorial to new comers, this devs deserve praise
The soundtrack seems like it'll be a massive undertaking as more characters get added, since every stage's theme gets a variation for each individual character. So far, it's absolutely incredible. I love the quirky instrumentation of the Paprika variants the most.
I find it amazing that Mane6 managed to basically develop a innovative and "new" game based on MLP:FiM after a law suit. Other developers would have just given up but not Mane6, they just made art out of it and for that I respect them.
@Mauricio Aguilera You're totally right. I used the word "lawsuit" more generic than it actually is (I'm not a native english speaker). Sorry for that and thanks for teaching me :P.
Well, they only switched to the Skullgirls engine after the rebranding, so it was basically built from the ground up. The concepts behind how the fighters play did carry over, but saying "they just had to make their own IP" is understating the amount of effort put in a bit.
@@fmccloud It's somehow kinda unbelievable how Lauren Faust is basically the whole reason this game exists. If she wouldn't have helped with the characters then Mane6 would probally have given up after the C&D. That one single person can change so much...
I really wish people understood that reason for TFH have such tiny rooster is because they put a considerable amount of resources to polish everything else. its practically no different from other series when they just started off. and most were nowhere near the level of detail TFH put it.
I'm honestly fine with small rosters, I'm used to games like Melee where the amount of viable/frequently played characters is comparatively small. I'd rather have a polished game that I can play the same character in for hours and still have fun than a game with 50 characters that all feel janky or uninspired.
I mean, the original Mortal Kombat which was released in either 1991 or 1992 only had 7 characters, and that game seemed to do perfectly fine. Though it was nowhere near as polished as this game is...if TFH continues down the same path as MK took, then holy hell, the possibilities are limitless.
I'm surprised everytime indie devs manage to create a solid beat em up system. To me, that seems to be the hardest s*** ever. It's no wonder everyone makes knockoff shooters.
I still remember the time I asked the devs to include a tutorial mode for fighting game noobs like me and they responded by putting it in their next beta update. It's little things like that which show devs really care about their fans
the moment I knew just how much they cared was when that WoolieVs. stream happened and they put button promps in the salt mines and adjusted the balance for the Mines when there's 28 players strictly based on that one stream.
I'd rather have a small roster of characters with plenty of moves and real differences between them than one with a large roster and no real differences.
"The small cast of characters might give you frustration because you'll fight the same character over and over." Meanwhile at the online matches of Killer Instinct: EVERYONE IS JAGO!!
Preeeeeetty much. Some forget that when there's a Tier List in 20+ character game, the actual amount you'll fight is proly the same 4 to 7 same characters, with maaaaybe someone just playing their fav regardless. 6 chars is still small, but enough to make all of them different. Make too many, and 2 or 3 are just clones with different frames or minor changes that make them play sliiightly different but at the same time mostly similar to who they are a clone of.
This is Lauren Faust’s “Dragon’s Lair”, dammit! She’s the Don Bluth of her generation. Hope this sells well. Hope she arrives at The Game Awards like that Fares dude did. She will smash the competition.
That'd be super neat, but the chance that someone shakes down Geoff Keileigh enough for this to even get any sort of nomination would be crazy. That, and I don't think Lauren would want to take that sort of credit when she really wanted Omari and Lucas' work to shine through and she'd easily say that they are the real creative drive behind TFH and not her.
@@paz1514 Don Bluth didn't made Dragon's Lair, he didn't had the idea, he didn't work the concept, he only provide his great art. People forget that Dragon's Lair was made by Rick Dyer, Bluth was only the big name attached to the project.
@@triccele My original comment still stands. None of the art or animation is on par with Secret Nihm, Rock a doodle, An American Tale and Land before time
Definitely the majority, but also definitely all of the EVO lineup. None of the games are even close. I play great buttery smooth matches at 1frame delay at 200 ping which "doesn't make sense" from a strictly ping perspective but that is how well the game handles/implements rollback. It is also just $15 and really fun and has just about every quality of life feature you could ask for. For example from the pixel lobby you can queue into quick play and play in training mode which has some combo training built in
They WANNA do that, but... this game kinda lives or dies on weather or not the word gets out and people buy and play it. it's gotta be financially viable for them to do console ports.
@@ClexYoshi I hate to say this, but they might need a "ZONE-Sama" or equivalent to make TFH popular. it'd worked for Skullgirls, and it got ZONE-Sama to eventually join the dev studio. :P
ClexYoshi atleast do a xbox port the sdk makes it easy and later on ps and switch. Xbox means xbox version , win10 version and game could launch in gamepass
Honestly, I've had more fun with this game than I have with any other fighting game. So many of them give lackluster story modes where the most they do is stick cutscenes between arcade mode fights, but TFH's story mode has so much to do and explore, and it's really satisfying too. I can't wait for the next story update.
That kind of thing is why I loved Soul Caliber 2, but haven't really been able to care about other games in the franchise. They had that adventure mode and decided to never bring do it again.
This game almost never happened, but from what we got its looking like a great fighting game! Whether you like MLP or not, which it is inspired by, the roster has a unique cast of characters
To be perfectly fair, you took that bit where you asked about doing Salt mines from a day where the community was doing "The Magic Series", which is our online tournament circuit. we only do that once a month, though. you'll probably find more people that want to salt mines on saturdays that aren't the last saturday of the month!
I followed this game when i was still in the Brony fandom. I'm glad they manage to get through this ever since Fighting is Magic (OG Them's Fighting Herds) got C&D.
Interesting. I've heard of the existence of bronies a few years back, which was quite a surprise for me. I still couldn't quite comprehend how a grown man could be into MLP. (No offense) It was interesting, to say the least. I even checked out a few episodes of MLP just to see what's up. It wasn't for me. I like the cutesy artstyle but that's just about it. From what I heard, the brony fandom has dwindled significantly, almost to a point where they are like an endangered species. You won't find a brony these days unless you actively look for them which is a stark contrast during the old times where you'll find a brony out and about and in your face.
Slow it down, and there is a lot of small details easily missed in gameplay. For example, in Pom's heavy attacks, it looks like she's swinging her dog... But in actuality she trying to stop the dog from attacking.
It was actually going to be, as a side tournament. EVO is cancelled now, but I'm sure the TFH community is going to plan out an online tournament to replace the physical one that was going to happen.
@@NCozy Depends on the game, really, but if you're expecting a small indie game to make MAIN STAGE LINEUP at the money-hungry juggernaut that is EVO, you're going to be disappointed, sadly. They had a much bigger showing at the much more awesome Combo Breaker, and were going to do so again, but sadly, COVID screwed that one up too.
It was nice that Lauren Faust actually helped on this, and they got some of the voice actors from MLP to voice the fighters. Like Andrea Libman for instance voices the Alpaca.
No other fandom has been as productive and impactful as the MLP fandom. No other fandom has been lasting so long after the source show has been run into the dirt for year after year. If I ever find another fandom like this (and I don't expect that I will), then I'll keep an eye out to see what they do with their writing staff.
I love the small roster, because it’s motivation to play other characters In other fighting games, you get 20+ characters and a casual player only plays 2-3 of them because that’s what they are comfortable with. In TFH, you’re motivated to play the others because they have the same basic combos, but are unique and different, but you’re pushed out of you comfort zone because the area outside of it isn’t much bigger that the area inside of it. That being said, I will most likely play nothing but Oleander.
Smaller the roster smaller the chances you get to know diff characters. i mean i usually play with magic characters, i never play the strongest or bulky ones. if i have 6 characters and there's only 1 magician, for example i would use only that one or maybe another 2nd option. The same applies to the other categories. where is motivational to use the other ones?!?! i would totally get a game with more options to expore-
It's interesting that they only have 1 more character planned considering their original MLP game they were developing actually had quite a number of extra characters besides the Mane 6. I would like to see a Trixie equivalent in this game because she seemed to play amazingly from the build I played back in the day (When I could figure out the spaghetti code combos they had back then)
it kinda killed Nappy on the inside that he had some of the ideas for what he wanted in this game, and then because they've been in development for so long, other games started having ideas like their's. namely, Guilty Gear Xrd has a very similar tutorial to what they had envisioned their tutorial to be like.
I actually think AAA developers are capable of doing great things. It's just that they have to follow by strict release window and executives want safe, proven gameplay. Keep in mind this game took 8 years to be completed, and it shows in gameplay depth. But if they were attached to some major publisher no way they were going to let development go on for 8 years. Edit: for development taking 8 years, before 2015, it seems like they weren't on full development cycle. But still 5+ years for 6 character 2d fighting game is more than enough time to make game polished and ready. Something AAA developers never get.
Considering all the hard work, hard times and crap the team had to go through to finally finish this game.. CONGRATULATIONS "Mane6", music mixers, voice actors and everyone!! And thanks so much Mrs. Lauren Faust for you're help!~
Correct. It was hit with a C&D by Hasbro, which led to the developers receiving support from cartoonist Lauren Faust and Z-Engine creators Lab Zero Games to eventually make TFH.
Mane6 climb up a long rope from Fighting Is Magic to Them's Fightin Herds is when they reached to top. The sunlight begins to shine and here way are ready to kick some butt. Rock on Mane6!
Great to finally see this game out of early access! I like how you can still see the old personalities of these characters present from their Fighting is Magic days.
@@thehelpfulchangeling169 we are part of the same fandom that once had such a great sense of community that motivated projects such as this one. Also, Lauren Faust conceived her art for free for these guys because of the whole story and that wouldn't be possible without the fandom to reach her up in the first place. So yeah, we did it bois. /)
This honestly seems like one of the best overall fighting game experiences ever made. With the story and how the shadow creatures teach you individual mechanics and all that. Seems a 10/10 but I can see people passing on it just because the subject matter.
@@user-un8jx8yo7z we are getting a 7th character and they want the roster to have at least 10-11 characters total but lord that's prolly gonna take a while
I hope this video boosts the player base, it seriously needs it. For a 15$ fighting game that is this professional, fun to play, and polished, people sleep on this game way too hard. If you like fighting games you’ll enjoy thems fightin herds as much as any other and I implore you it invest. They just need to advertise more.
Most of the big chunk of the game and the crunch time with it is mostly gone now, so the battle planner will focus on the goat and maybe more characters, it's coming
@@jojo95DK for now, their focus is the goat, level 3 supers and chapter 2 of story (focused on Velvet). They are also looking into how to smoothly get it published on Switch and PS4.
They gotta sell enough copies on Steam to continue funding development. trust me, MANY people are requesting console ports, but they have to finish their obligations to the crowdfund and then see how much money they have left in the bank to see if Console Ports/releases in other languages is viable.
I understand I understand completely. So if they sell enough on Steam I would love to see a port on the PS4, and the Switch at some point in the future.
You know, since Them Fightin' Herds is a video game, there's a chance they are eligible to be a DLC character for Smash. I mean, if Indie representatives get in like Shovel Knight, Sans, and Cuphead, a character from this game is a possibility
@@paz1514 I never thought Sonic, Pac-Man, Ryu, Terry Bogart, or Cloud Strife would ever be in smash bros either. Let's face it, stranger things have happened.
Doubt that Nintendo will ever recognize TFH, but we do have some DLC fighters on the way. Shanty the goat is nearly done with development, and there will likely be more to come!
As for DLC, I would love to see a zebra, a giraffe, an elephant, a rhino, a moose, a bison, and 2 herbivores I would especially love but is not going to happen but a triceratops and a brachiasaurus.
Max and the Doods played it when it first launched in Early Access and actually loved the heck out of it. I'm really hoping they play it again, though perhaps maybe wait until the Level 3 Supers get added to the game, so we can get a Rate the Super too.
For over 20 years, Street Fighter 2 has been the tightest fighting game in my mind that no others have been able to surpass after. I'd never have believed a game like this would be the one to do it, but it does. If it just had a few more characters it would completely smash the competition honestly.
@@eliasnicolasmiranda4940 It felt too loose between the character types. I didn't feel as the games expanded that the many characters complimented each or other well, or that some were too similar, less interesting than others. 2 struck a perfect balance of complimentary skills and strong interest. I honestly feel like it already was broke when Sagat and Bison became playable.
I so hope we'll get some more characters at some point. This game is seriously underrated. Especially hoping the Bear will get a balanced version at some point
@@dyldragon1 A dedicated grappler is indeed a popular request. I wouldn't be surprised if that was character #8, should we make it past the goat. In the meantime, Paprika is a pseudo-grappler weirdo.
@@dyldragon1 Oh, trust me. the battle designer for this game, Omari Smith? He wants a grappler character. that's not going to be the Goat that's coming along, but I'm confident that he WILL get a heavy for tossing folks around. I threw in the suggestion for an elephant on their discord.
You didn't mention the dynamic music system? Each stage has its own song and each character has there own style influences. Whoever is winning the song will change to there version of the song. Its really awsome and helps set the mood for the flow of battle going back and froth as the music chances sides as the fight continues.
I really hope that now that TFH is out of EA it will get more attention. It really is an amazing fighting game. Great music, great visuals, and the characters just ooze charm.
When I saw this in the Evo 20 trailer i taught they were joking bt watching the trailer a 2nd time the animation and mechanics are amazing. Truly Gorgeous!!!
Man... what a crazy roller coaster this has all been. I was so crazy ecstatic for this dev team getting their game to come back after the 2013 DEBACLE, only for the dream to die literally days before the EVO tournament for reasons that were completely out of their control. I'm still thankful the game got the rub from people learning about it from the EVO Online trailer. it literally gave the game the injection it needed to sustain it's player base for far longer. Here's hoping Grand Stampede can even do half the numbers that EVO would have allowed Them's Fightin' Herds to do.
Two reasons for that: It's made using the Skullgirls engine (Z-Engine from Lab Zero) and the characters were designed by Lauren Faust, former designer & producer for the MLP:FIM cartoon (though it actually has nothing to do with MLP).
Not really. Skullgirls is a 6-button fighter, and this is a 4-button fighter. Just because they use the same engine, doesn't mean they play the same way.
I'd say this is the first and may be only time I'm actually excited to play a game involving or inspired by mlp(whatever the case may be) despite also not being a hardcore fighting game player.
Great review, but I really think it's a failing of reviews to keep presenting roster size as a negative against the game. Over time, we've become a lot more aware of the things in fighting games that turn out bad, and it's almost never the roster size.
It's been nearly feature complete for years already. This update was basically the story mode and lvl 3 supers. Online versus and the roguelite lobby system have been finished for a while.
This looks like a fun game, I'd love to be able to play this just because I'm a sucker for cute characters! I hope they release this for console someday.
I hope so too. they defenatley want to, but they only have enough resources gaurenteed with making Mac/Linux ports before they have to talk to their publishers at HumbleBundle on weather or not the game has made enough money to justify console ports.
the coolest thing for me is that i can see moves of initial mlp roster in these redesigns. its hard to forget how twilight used to bash everyone with a magic book
The small roster isn't even a problem, I'm sure me and most fighting games players prefer small rosters with different characters than big rosters that are ultimately the same. Plus, even with rosters that have more than 15 characters, people usually play the same characters over and over in matches anyways
Yeah. I play Tekken, one of the biggest character lists out there. And I pretty much see the same characters every day. Some characters meanwhile I've not even seen once, after hundreds of matches played. Seems having a big roster is basically a whole lot of waste.
Playing the same characters, eh? 2030: Friendship is Magic 2033: Fallout Equestria 2036: Moises Mungua 2039: Fallout Moises And yes, it's a 3 year wait for new characters to come
I would definitely like to see the roster at least doubled in size. 12 would still be a small number, but it would be a hell of a lot better than just 6 or 7.
I've heard Ohmari "Nappy" Smith (Battle designer, lead programmer) say he's got ideas for 4 characters and that's how much they'd LIKE to get to, but it all depends on how much they can make to justify continuing with the development costs on the game.
I had this game since it first came out in like 2017 or 18, can't remember, and omg you won't believe how far its come. It only had a 1v1 mode, and an arcade mode. Only person i fought was my best friend. Some of my gameplay ended up in my outro video, but i haven't uploaded any gameplay yet
FUN FACT: this was originally supposed to be “MLP fighting is magic” with all the MLP main roster and more, but the company that owns them shut it down, so the original creator and artist decided to make all new characters for the new games creators along with a character sheet for each one she made, out of the kindness of her heart
Yeah Hasbro is crazy about their IP just like Nintendo.
The game you're referring to exists though, I've played it
AppleToaster I’ve played it too. But they received a cease and desist order to stop production. So now we have this in place of the other one
It wasn't very fun fact. However, more fun fact is that others DID manage to finish the fangame and release it.
Actually, the creator of the Generation 4 MLP, Lauren Faust, volunteered some of her time to help Mane6 when Hasbro slapped a Cease and Desist on the original game.
Its crazy that an indie developed fighting game has better lobby system than 99% of the big budget fighting games .
EXACTLY
Better online than Smash Ultimate
@@NCozy ya beat me to it
finalform11 arcsys needs to take some notes
This
from a C&D MLP fangame to TFH this game has never gave up and it shows
Yeah. This game is absolutely awesome. Makes me want to watch mlp again too.
And to think, if Hasbro hadn't given them the C&D letter, this might not have gotten this much attention and would've been far too niche and probably quickly forgotten.
Hasbro: *deploys cease and desist letter*
MANE6: Is that a challenge I see?
Actual Brony ingenuity at its core. Ngl. Overcoming expectations was how we birthed forth from the womb of 4chan.
*Pillar Men theme intensifies*
MANE6: Fine, I'll make my own fighting game with Lauren Faust's art. With Blackjack. And Hookers.
Challenge?
*Gets Smash Bros. Invitation*
@@KaiKrimson56 Hookers may be taking it a bit too far at this point XD
considering this game is only $15 thats still a lot of content
Yeah it's as much content as fighterz and that's crazy
From *Fighting is Magic* to
*Them's Fighten' Herds* ..
How far we have come
And some Celestia and Luna etchings onboard components of the ISS.
But we must go *further*
And still more to come.
I still have the last version they released of Fighting is Magic before the C&D. They have come so far and its awesome!
@@FirestormDDash Oh, there's way more than just that, but if we were going to go over this stuff thoroughly, we'd be here forever.
It's also funny when you consider that the new title could be seen as a response to Hasbro's C&D letter to Mane6.
A fighting game that teaches you how to fight as you’re playing the story mode?!...Someone has common sense?!...FINALLY?!
With very little tutorials for fighting outside of tutorial mode, though that is planned for first patch.
Wow a fighting game story mode that teaches you how to play a fighting game and not just a glorified arcade mode that has "cinematic" cutscenes...wow
Plenty of fighting games have actual tutorials, especially any Arc Sys or SNK fighter
@@jac_238 I think Kirby C was moreso getting at the fact that the predators are specifically designed to teach you strategies for fighting against general archetypes and helping you to learn certain things in a far more practical environment then the lab.
The bosses are hard.. Even in casual
when a dev that has not design a fighting games before out perform age old fighting game franchise in introducing game mechanics and tutorial to new comers, this devs deserve praise
@Mauricio Aguilera the konquest
You forgot to mention how uniquely legendary the soundtrack is
The soundtrack is mentioned.
Sí fue mencionado
The soundtrack seems like it'll be a massive undertaking as more characters get added, since every stage's theme gets a variation for each individual character. So far, it's absolutely incredible. I love the quirky instrumentation of the Paprika variants the most.
aunque me gustaria ver el soundtrack en el juego en un futuro, me refiero a las que hubo en el Fighting is Magic~ .w./
@@Claubuza oh your right, I didn't notice where it was LOL
I find it amazing that Mane6 managed to basically develop a innovative and "new" game based on MLP:FiM after a law suit. Other developers would have just given up but not Mane6, they just made art out of it and for that I respect them.
@Mauricio Aguilera You're totally right. I used the word "lawsuit" more generic than it actually is (I'm not a native english speaker). Sorry for that and thanks for teaching me :P.
The game is the same, they just had to make their own IP
Well, they only switched to the Skullgirls engine after the rebranding, so it was basically built from the ground up. The concepts behind how the fighters play did carry over, but saying "they just had to make their own IP" is understating the amount of effort put in a bit.
It helped that Lauren Faust came down like a goddess from the heavens to help the group.
@@fmccloud It's somehow kinda unbelievable how Lauren Faust is basically the whole reason this game exists. If she wouldn't have helped with the characters then Mane6 would probally have given up after the C&D. That one single person can change so much...
I really wish people understood that reason for TFH have such tiny rooster is because they put a considerable amount of resources to polish everything else. its practically no different from other series when they just started off. and most were nowhere near the level of detail TFH put it.
Its also because each character were the Mane 6 at one point
I'm honestly fine with small rosters, I'm used to games like Melee where the amount of viable/frequently played characters is comparatively small. I'd rather have a polished game that I can play the same character in for hours and still have fun than a game with 50 characters that all feel janky or uninspired.
I mean, the original Mortal Kombat which was released in either 1991 or 1992 only had 7 characters, and that game seemed to do perfectly fine.
Though it was nowhere near as polished as this game is...if TFH continues down the same path as MK took, then holy hell, the possibilities are limitless.
@@Chozo_Ghost As long as people stop being immature and giving it a hard time because of the aesthetic because man this game deserves to succeed
@@Kitacolile If it deserves it it would have succeeded
Congrats to "MANE6" for a successful launch.
Yessss they deserve a huge congratulations
LOL
I'm surprised everytime indie devs manage to create a solid beat em up system. To me, that seems to be the hardest s*** ever. It's no wonder everyone makes knockoff shooters.
If only the bronies was here before they forgot about it.
It took em years
I still remember the time I asked the devs to include a tutorial mode for fighting game noobs like me and they responded by putting it in their next beta update. It's little things like that which show devs really care about their fans
the moment I knew just how much they cared was when that WoolieVs. stream happened and they put button promps in the salt mines and adjusted the balance for the Mines when there's 28 players strictly based on that one stream.
Do you play Killer Instinct (2013)?
I'd rather have a small roster of characters with plenty of moves and real differences between them than one with a large roster and no real differences.
And it prevents the whole “overwhelmed by choices” thing.
@@ponivi
???
Small attention span.
@@containeduniverselow4790 Choice paralysis, look it up
@POPTOTS I remember the build up to the release of Smash Ultimate. After 40 something fighters I was like, 'Ok, that's plenty, you can stop now'.
The ost for this games is outstanding
Yeah it's so epic and sometimes even relaxing
"The small cast of characters might give you frustration because you'll fight the same character over and over."
Meanwhile at the online matches of Killer Instinct: EVERYONE IS JAGO!!
Preeeeeetty much. Some forget that when there's a Tier List in 20+ character game, the actual amount you'll fight is proly the same 4 to 7 same characters, with maaaaybe someone just playing their fav regardless.
6 chars is still small, but enough to make all of them different. Make too many, and 2 or 3 are just clones with different frames or minor changes that make them play sliiightly different but at the same time mostly similar to who they are a clone of.
Sometimes it's best to start of small to be big.
Amateurs, the lot of em. Cleaning house with RAAM and Riptor is the way to go
This is Lauren Faust’s “Dragon’s Lair”, dammit! She’s the Don Bluth of her generation. Hope this sells well. Hope she arrives at The Game Awards like that Fares dude did. She will smash the competition.
and it'd be a neat bit of karma for hasbro. they had their chance
That'd be super neat, but the chance that someone shakes down Geoff Keileigh enough for this to even get any sort of nomination would be crazy.
That, and I don't think Lauren would want to take that sort of credit when she really wanted Omari and Lucas' work to shine through and she'd easily say that they are the real creative drive behind TFH and not her.
This is genuinely the funniest comment. Not even close to Don Bluth level buddy and the game wont sell. Its incredibly niche
@@paz1514 Don Bluth didn't made Dragon's Lair, he didn't had the idea, he didn't work the concept, he only provide his great art. People forget that Dragon's Lair was made by Rick Dyer, Bluth was only the big name attached to the project.
@@triccele My original comment still stands. None of the art or animation is on par with Secret Nihm, Rock a doodle, An American Tale and Land before time
The fact that this game has better netplay than triple AAA fighting games is astounding
Fun fact: This game has better netcode than the majority of the online EVO lineup.
I mean, unless we're talking about Emulated Marvel 2 with FightCade, it's probably better than ALL the games in the EVO lineup!
Fun fact: The co-founder of EVO created GGPO, and now look at the upcoming dumpster fire his tournament is going to be dealing with.
Definitely the majority, but also definitely all of the EVO lineup. None of the games are even close. I play great buttery smooth matches at 1frame delay at 200 ping which "doesn't make sense" from a strictly ping perspective but that is how well the game handles/implements rollback. It is also just $15 and really fun and has just about every quality of life feature you could ask for. For example from the pixel lobby you can queue into quick play and play in training mode which has some combo training built in
I dunno, I hear skullgirls got a netcode upgrade too
@@MrVince329 this was before the online Evo announcement having TGH, SG, KI, MK11
This game has to come to all consoles with crossplay
They WANNA do that, but... this game kinda lives or dies on weather or not the word gets out and people buy and play it. it's gotta be financially viable for them to do console ports.
@@ClexYoshi I hate to say this, but they might need a "ZONE-Sama" or equivalent to make TFH popular.
it'd worked for Skullgirls, and it got ZONE-Sama to eventually join the dev studio. :P
@@AL2009man its funny since TFH is using the same engine as Skullgirls. The devs gifted it to them for free back during the kickstarter days.
@@AL2009man Zone was an animation contractor on Skullgirls, not an actual Lab Zero member.
ClexYoshi atleast do a xbox port the sdk makes it easy and later on ps and switch. Xbox means xbox version , win10 version and game could launch in gamepass
Honestly, I've had more fun with this game than I have with any other fighting game. So many of them give lackluster story modes where the most they do is stick cutscenes between arcade mode fights, but TFH's story mode has so much to do and explore, and it's really satisfying too. I can't wait for the next story update.
I feel like I should get this game before arcana heart and under night inbirth.
@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 I mean, you're getting WAY better netcode then you would with UNIClEAR
@@ClexYoshi uniclr feels boring without pvp. This game looks like I can enjoy as a single player.
i am more concerned about netcode than story mode in fighting games, fighting games are competitive in nature. so, story mode or not doesn't matter.
That kind of thing is why I loved Soul Caliber 2, but haven't really been able to care about other games in the franchise. They had that adventure mode and decided to never bring do it again.
"It's exceptional by any measure." Wow, them's high praisin' words!
This game almost never happened, but from what we got its looking like a great fighting game! Whether you like MLP or not, which it is inspired by, the roster has a unique cast of characters
I hope a lot of people go buy this after seeing the review. Its only $15.
@Alezander2002 Thanks pal! I'll actually be posting a let's play of the story mode soon👍
@Wowie Zowie That's awesome!!
To be perfectly fair, you took that bit where you asked about doing Salt mines from a day where the community was doing "The Magic Series", which is our online tournament circuit. we only do that once a month, though. you'll probably find more people that want to salt mines on saturdays that aren't the last saturday of the month!
pinkie pie: peace was never an option
YOU DAMN FIDDLEEEEE!!!
I love the art style and solid animations. ❤
Lauren Faust helped develop the roster and it certainly shows
Years later and they finally decide to let this "herd" have their moment to shine!
It's because it officially left Early Access on May first.
I followed this game when i was still in the Brony fandom. I'm glad they manage to get through this ever since Fighting is Magic (OG Them's Fighting Herds) got C&D.
"Was", meaning you're not a brony anymore, correct?
@@holyattack9497 Yep
Interesting. I've heard of the existence of bronies a few years back, which was quite a surprise for me. I still couldn't quite comprehend how a grown man could be into MLP. (No offense)
It was interesting, to say the least. I even checked out a few episodes of MLP just to see what's up. It wasn't for me. I like the cutesy artstyle but that's just about it.
From what I heard, the brony fandom has dwindled significantly, almost to a point where they are like an endangered species. You won't find a brony these days unless you actively look for them which is a stark contrast during the old times where you'll find a brony out and about and in your face.
Oh wow, I saw your comment on the video IGN made about the game 2 years ago.
@@LightBluly I pray for your safe return from strayin from the path of light.
*praise the sun*
Ngl the animation is really smooth and I do like some of the ideas this game has
Slow it down, and there is a lot of small details easily missed in gameplay.
For example, in Pom's heavy attacks, it looks like she's swinging her dog... But in actuality she trying to stop the dog from attacking.
This needs to be at EVO.
It was actually going to be, as a side tournament. EVO is cancelled now, but I'm sure the TFH community is going to plan out an online tournament to replace the physical one that was going to happen.
agreed
It needs to be
it has GGPO
@@SmokeRulz Side event doesn't really count IMO. It doesn't really get any attention.
@@NCozy Depends on the game, really, but if you're expecting a small indie game to make MAIN STAGE LINEUP at the money-hungry juggernaut that is EVO, you're going to be disappointed, sadly.
They had a much bigger showing at the much more awesome Combo Breaker, and were going to do so again, but sadly, COVID screwed that one up too.
It was nice that Lauren Faust actually helped on this, and they got some of the voice actors from MLP to voice the fighters.
Like Andrea Libman for instance voices the Alpaca.
Incorrect. Marieve Herington voices Paprika. The only MLP voice actor here is Tara Strong voicing Arizona.
@@SmokeRulz Is it really an MLP voice actor if Tara Strong voices way too many characters to count?
@@napsterking Oh she's been everywhere, yes, but MLP is one thing she's known for, sooo. Stuff.
Fun Fact: Tara also wanted to voice the cow since in the MLP voice cast she wanted to voice Applejack
When beating your foes with friendship doesn't work
Even the show learned this at the end.
They just turn them to stone or send them to Tartarus. Or banish them between dimensions.
"The power of friendship and this gun I found"
@@FirestormDDash
True! lol
Our Brony fandom is a bit past it's prime, but damn! It was a fun 8 years for me.
This brings back memories.
No other fandom has been as productive and impactful as the MLP fandom. No other fandom has been lasting so long after the source show has been run into the dirt for year after year.
If I ever find another fandom like this (and I don't expect that I will), then I'll keep an eye out to see what they do with their writing staff.
I love the small roster, because it’s motivation to play other characters
In other fighting games, you get 20+ characters and a casual player only plays 2-3 of them because that’s what they are comfortable with. In TFH, you’re motivated to play the others because they have the same basic combos, but are unique and different, but you’re pushed out of you comfort zone because the area outside of it isn’t much bigger that the area inside of it. That being said, I will most likely play nothing but Oleander.
The small roster is because its origins. But then again with your profile pick you probably already knew that.
Oleander is my boo
Smaller the roster smaller the chances you get to know diff characters. i mean i usually play with magic characters, i never play the strongest or bulky ones. if i have 6 characters and there's only 1 magician, for example i would use only that one or maybe another 2nd option. The same applies to the other categories. where is motivational to use the other ones?!?! i would totally get a game with more options to expore-
Oleander is the best and cutest ungulate.
Pure example of "don't judge a book by its cover"
So i can actually play this online without 6 frames of delay? It already feels better than gbfvs
It's interesting that they only have 1 more character planned considering their original MLP game they were developing actually had quite a number of extra characters besides the Mane 6. I would like to see a Trixie equivalent in this game because she seemed to play amazingly from the build I played back in the day (When I could figure out the spaghetti code combos they had back then)
Essentially if/how many characters are added after GOAT depend on how successful the game is.
They weren't planning any more. The extras you've seen were all added by fans.
They have actually stated they had ideas for more characters, but yes any that were actually added to that game were not from Mane6.
Rainbow horse/dragon horse is all I ever needed.
@@CatgirlKazu they had a pretty sizeable roster, even if it was empty
Once again indie game developers show they have more understanding of game development then AAA developers.
it kinda killed Nappy on the inside that he had some of the ideas for what he wanted in this game, and then because they've been in development for so long, other games started having ideas like their's. namely, Guilty Gear Xrd has a very similar tutorial to what they had envisioned their tutorial to be like.
I actually think AAA developers are capable of doing great things. It's just that they have to follow by strict release window and executives want safe, proven gameplay. Keep in mind this game took 8 years to be completed, and it shows in gameplay depth. But if they were attached to some major publisher no way they were going to let development go on for 8 years.
Edit: for development taking 8 years, before 2015, it seems like they weren't on full development cycle. But still 5+ years for 6 character 2d fighting game is more than enough time to make game polished and ready. Something AAA developers never get.
@@dirtiestharry6551 Time has very little to do with determining the quality of a game, especially if your talking about fighting games
This is always the case because indies can take more risks and be more flexible. Literally all innovation comes from indies and the mod scene.
@@Laughing_Atyo >Time has very little to do with
What? Time is EVERYTHING
Considering all the hard work, hard times and crap the team had to go through to finally finish this game.. CONGRATULATIONS "Mane6", music mixers, voice actors and everyone!!
And thanks so much Mrs. Lauren Faust for you're help!~
This originally started as a MLP fan game, correct?
Yep
I recall seeing someone playing the MLP fighting game a long time ago after school one day
Correct. It was hit with a C&D by Hasbro, which led to the developers receiving support from cartoonist Lauren Faust and Z-Engine creators Lab Zero Games to eventually make TFH.
Yes. That's what they said in the video
@@lleom7838 same. We had a video game club at school and someone was playing it during club time.
Mane6 climb up a long rope from Fighting Is Magic to Them's Fightin Herds is when they reached to top. The sunlight begins to shine and here way are ready to kick some butt. Rock on Mane6!
Great to finally see this game out of early access! I like how you can still see the old personalities of these characters present from their Fighting is Magic days.
We did it boys we made it far enough
Are you part of the team that created the game or did you support them with money? If not, then you shouldn't clame the victory
No, but I’m just impressed that their game has done this well
@@thehelpfulchangeling169 we are part of the same fandom that once had such a great sense of community that motivated projects such as this one. Also, Lauren Faust conceived her art for free for these guys because of the whole story and that wouldn't be possible without the fandom to reach her up in the first place. So yeah, we did it bois. /)
@@triccele He's right, in a sense we did it. Gratz for the team for coming so far.
I hate to say this but this game goes hard AF!
why do you hate that?
@@milesgaunt6767 MLP bad
Ah yes of course how could I forget
@@MutatedCutie pastel horse bad.
you mean goes "herd"
This honestly seems like one of the best overall fighting game experiences ever made. With the story and how the shadow creatures teach you individual mechanics and all that. Seems a 10/10 but I can see people passing on it just because the subject matter.
Yeah that's true the roster is kind of small at the moment. I'm sure more will be made in the future..
@@user-un8jx8yo7z we are getting a 7th character and they want the roster to have at least 10-11 characters total but lord that's prolly gonna take a while
I love indie fighting games they are what evolve the genre not the big companies that play it safe.
I also love it when Street Fighter games are garbage, because that's what allows these evolutions in fighting games to get an audience and grow.
From a cancelled fan fighting game for mlp to a kickass official game.
I hope this video boosts the player base, it seriously needs it. For a 15$ fighting game that is this professional, fun to play, and polished, people sleep on this game way too hard. If you like fighting games you’ll enjoy thems fightin herds as much as any other and I implore you it invest. They just need to advertise more.
Not only is the character design amazing, the sound design is also fantastic
I always imagined a fighting game with these mechanics for years. So happy someone has basically the same idea, but with pony's lol
I never understood clopping til I saw Oleander
This is a comment of culture
Though my profile picture may say otherwise. It's Paprika for me.
Just Paprika
You three. You're on a list
based and redpilled
Where was my Winchester again?
Glad to see this pearl getting the attention it deserves. Sad the original project was vaporized by Hasbro, but this version is surely great as well.
Can’t wait to buy this on my Brony PlayStation 4.
But seriously, the gameplay looks solid.
Maybe if enough of buy it on pc they might port it on consoles
my younger brother baught it, I played and i honestly like it better than fighter Z gameplay wise.
Buy on pc and plug a controller
9Another6 Not everyone has a pc, dude
@@cannibalbunny Dude, my shitty $300 laptop runs this game flawlessly, even online. It's not a very resource-heavy game.
I really do hope they eventually come up with more characters
Most of the big chunk of the game and the crunch time with it is mostly gone now, so the battle planner will focus on the goat and maybe more characters, it's coming
@@jojo95DK for now, their focus is the goat, level 3 supers and chapter 2 of story (focused on Velvet). They are also looking into how to smoothly get it published on Switch and PS4.
I hope this becomes available for PS4, and Switch at some point.
They gotta sell enough copies on Steam to continue funding development. trust me, MANY people are requesting console ports, but they have to finish their obligations to the crowdfund and then see how much money they have left in the bank to see if Console Ports/releases in other languages is viable.
Swith don't need this bad game.
I understand I understand completely. So if they sell enough on Steam I would love to see a port on the PS4, and the Switch at some point in the future.
@@theblazingace3537 That bait was a little weak
shadow doth I smell salt?
You know, since Them Fightin' Herds is a video game, there's a chance they are eligible to be a DLC character for Smash. I mean, if Indie representatives get in like Shovel Knight, Sans, and Cuphead, a character from this game is a possibility
if nintendo reveals that a slot in the next fighters pass belongs to a TFH character I am actually going to pass out
It wont happen tho and we both know this
@@paz1514 I never thought Sonic, Pac-Man, Ryu, Terry Bogart, or Cloud Strife would ever be in smash bros either. Let's face it, stranger things have happened.
The only thing close to that is as Mii Costume because Nintendo doesn't care of Indies to put them as Main Character
Doubt that Nintendo will ever recognize TFH, but we do have some DLC fighters on the way. Shanty the goat is nearly done with development, and there will likely be more to come!
As for DLC, I would love to see a zebra, a giraffe, an elephant, a rhino, a moose, a bison, and 2 herbivores I would especially love but is not going to happen but a triceratops and a brachiasaurus.
*megazord theme softly playing in the background*
Glad to see it reached release status. I should get into it again.
With the game going to EVO online it might give it the popularity boost it needs
This is like skullgirls and my little pony have a child
I mean, this game wouldn't be possible without MikeZ and Lauren Faust, so you're not wrong!
I heard it uses the skullgirls engine.
It does use the Skullgirls engine
Kinda feels like Skullgirls imo
It is exactly like that! lol :D
i would say this: SPREAD THE WORD THAT MAX SHOULD SEE THIS GAME AND GIVE IT A TRY LIKE FIGHT OF GODS AND FIGHT OF ANIMALS
He has already played it in beta
Max and the Doods played it when it first launched in Early Access and actually loved the heck out of it. I'm really hoping they play it again, though perhaps maybe wait until the Level 3 Supers get added to the game, so we can get a Rate the Super too.
@@SmokeRulz SWEET
They already did in the beta and also played against the developers
At least this reviewer is someone who clearly appreciates fighting games
Been supporting you guys since season 3. I'm so happy for you guys
For over 20 years, Street Fighter 2 has been the tightest fighting game in my mind that no others have been able to surpass after. I'd never have believed a game like this would be the one to do it, but it does. If it just had a few more characters it would completely smash the competition honestly.
do you know Street Fighter 3 Third Strike?
@@eliasnicolasmiranda4940 It felt too loose between the character types. I didn't feel as the games expanded that the many characters complimented each or other well, or that some were too similar, less interesting than others. 2 struck a perfect balance of complimentary skills and strong interest. I honestly feel like it already was broke when Sagat and Bison became playable.
I so hope we'll get some more characters at some point. This game is seriously underrated. Especially hoping the Bear will get a balanced version at some point
Oh there's more on the way~
Bear will never be balanced. Such is BEAR.
@@SmokeRulz Well more like a grappler with lots of super armor. A Tager or Big Band of this game would be exactly what I want.
I love Paprika atm
@@dyldragon1 A dedicated grappler is indeed a popular request. I wouldn't be surprised if that was character #8, should we make it past the goat. In the meantime, Paprika is a pseudo-grappler weirdo.
@@dyldragon1 Oh, trust me. the battle designer for this game, Omari Smith? He wants a grappler character. that's not going to be the Goat that's coming along, but I'm confident that he WILL get a heavy for tossing folks around. I threw in the suggestion for an elephant on their discord.
Yo, The impact of those hits are legit. I want my hands on that game!
You didn't mention the dynamic music system? Each stage has its own song and each character has there own style influences. Whoever is winning the song will change to there version of the song. Its really awsome and helps set the mood for the flow of battle going back and froth as the music chances sides as the fight continues.
I really hope that now that TFH is out of EA it will get more attention. It really is an amazing fighting game. Great music, great visuals, and the characters just ooze charm.
Irony
The game this was originally going to be got a C&D because of Evo.
Now THIS is being featured at Evo.
*insert Palpatine here*
This will definitely be a huge hit with fans. I've been playing it and i already love it. Instant 9/10 for me.
The Small player base may be about to be changed with it being one of the main four tournaments at Online Evo this year.
4 rl the official discord jumped like one thousand people or so and the amount of people following it on twitch by four thousand
This is a huge slap in the face for Hasbro, hahahah. Mane6 has all my love.
When I saw this in the Evo 20 trailer i taught they were joking bt watching the trailer a 2nd time the animation and mechanics are amazing. Truly Gorgeous!!!
Man... what a crazy roller coaster this has all been. I was so crazy ecstatic for this dev team getting their game to come back after the 2013 DEBACLE, only for the dream to die literally days before the EVO tournament for reasons that were completely out of their control.
I'm still thankful the game got the rub from people learning about it from the EVO Online trailer. it literally gave the game the injection it needed to sustain it's player base for far longer.
Here's hoping Grand Stampede can even do half the numbers that EVO would have allowed Them's Fightin' Herds to do.
My Little Pony Needed An Game Like This. But WITH THEM
We still have MUGEN characters.
They already did but got cancelled by Hasbro C&D
This game exist because of Fighting is Magic..
Hasbro C&D that Game already
That’s how this game got started. But they were threatened with a lawsuit, so they changed it.
Hadoken Is Magic
And now it's in the Open Tournament lineup for EVO Online!
until the building came a'falling down on our heads, set off by the ticking timebomb that was the FGC's flagrant sexual assault problem.
This game is kinda like Skullgirls, but with the skin of My Little Pony
Two reasons for that: It's made using the Skullgirls engine (Z-Engine from Lab Zero) and the characters were designed by Lauren Faust, former designer & producer for the MLP:FIM cartoon (though it actually has nothing to do with MLP).
But it's not My Little Pony. That's the best part
Not really. Skullgirls is a 6-button fighter, and this is a 4-button fighter. Just because they use the same engine, doesn't mean they play the same way.
@@juanantoniorodriguezfernan1455 But kinda feels(i played both)
@@9another632 How many combo-heavy 2d fighters have you played?
I'd say this is the first and may be only time I'm actually excited to play a game involving or inspired by mlp(whatever the case may be) despite also not being a hardcore fighting game player.
Great review, but I really think it's a failing of reviews to keep presenting roster size as a negative against the game. Over time, we've become a lot more aware of the things in fighting games that turn out bad, and it's almost never the roster size.
CONGRATS TO MAKING IT TO EVO 2020!
A dream nearly a decade in the making finally comes true! Congrats to Mane6!
It's been nearly feature complete for years already. This update was basically the story mode and lvl 3 supers. Online versus and the roguelite lobby system have been finished for a while.
I am so happy that this turned out well. Not only that, but this game also seems to have a lot of tournament potential as well.
Please consider watching Grand Stampede and supporting Mane6. After Evo crumbling, I think the community really needs it.
This looks like a fun game, I'd love to be able to play this just because I'm a sucker for cute characters! I hope they release this for console someday.
I hope so too. they defenatley want to, but they only have enough resources gaurenteed with making Mac/Linux ports before they have to talk to their publishers at HumbleBundle on weather or not the game has made enough money to justify console ports.
@@ClexYoshi Ah okay. Then I hope this game gets the exposure it deserves and sells well!
I'm so proud of how far this game and it's devs have come
Not gonna lie I saw this years ago and seeing it being reviewed now is blowing my mind
the coolest thing for me is that i can see moves of initial mlp roster in these redesigns. its hard to forget how twilight used to bash everyone with a magic book
The small roster isn't even a problem, I'm sure me and most fighting games players prefer small rosters with different characters than big rosters that are ultimately the same.
Plus, even with rosters that have more than 15 characters, people usually play the same characters over and over in matches anyways
I’ve been following the progress of this game for years! I’m so happy to see it release :D
I JUST REALIZED the title is based on the phrase "them's fightin' words"
This game needs more love
I mean..
Even in a game with 75 Characters you'll get to a point where you see the same 6 characters over and over.
Yeah. I play Tekken, one of the biggest character lists out there. And I pretty much see the same characters every day. Some characters meanwhile I've not even seen once, after hundreds of matches played. Seems having a big roster is basically a whole lot of waste.
Playing the same characters, eh?
2030: Friendship is Magic
2033: Fallout Equestria
2036: Moises Mungua
2039: Fallout Moises
And yes, it's a 3 year wait for new characters to come
I can't wait to watch Maxamillian play this
I would definitely like to see the roster at least doubled in size. 12 would still be a small number, but it would be a hell of a lot better than just 6 or 7.
I've heard Ohmari "Nappy" Smith (Battle designer, lead programmer) say he's got ideas for 4 characters and that's how much they'd LIKE to get to, but it all depends on how much they can make to justify continuing with the development costs on the game.
Maximum is gonna be 10 characters in the end just like Skullgirls
I've got ideas for characters I'd like to see
Simple answer: Like MLP? Like fighting games? Buy it
more like: Like fighting games? pastel cartoon stuff doesn't make you vomit? Buy it
I had this game since it first came out in like 2017 or 18, can't remember, and omg you won't believe how far its come.
It only had a 1v1 mode, and an arcade mode. Only person i fought was my best friend.
Some of my gameplay ended up in my outro video, but i haven't uploaded any gameplay yet
Got this as part of a Humble Bundle a while back. I'll probably really dig into it now.
2:07 - 2:20
*That COMBO though*
Brooo, I forgot about this game! I was pretty excited when it was in development, and lost touch at some point. I need to get it.
I remember fighting is magic, I love how you can still tell who each character originally was