Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars was a long time ago and is not likely to ever come back due to the nightmare of licensing. Leave it to indies to try to fill the void with a legally distinct, yet wholly original take on the kind of games you just can’t get anymore.
Mostrocopy proudly has “copy” in its title but also carries a lot of flair with its striking visual style infused with Latino cultural mythology and a bit of gamer pop culture. Its main inspirations are seemingly Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and a bit of Smash Bros. How successful is this frightful Frankensteinian combination of elements? Find out in our Mostrocopy review!
Mostrocopy
Developer: Oribe Ware Games
Publisher: Seashell Studio
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), PlayStation 5
Release Date: May 7, 2025
Price: $12.49
The first thing anybody will notice about Mostrocopy is its pulpy retro style that takes cues from haggard underground comics. The aggressive use of comic tones, solid black shadows, and intense magenta rim lighting on characters gives a striking impression and makes the colorful cast seem larger than life.
The character designs are incredible. One guy is a skeleton gunslinger, there’s a hulking Frankenstein’s creature, a couple of luchadores, a goth-girl who’s an homage to Morrigan and Sakura, a nurse who’s an amalgam of multiple Silent Hill creatures, and even an Aztec demigod rounds out the cast. There are no lame designs; everyone is utterly outlandish and memorable.
The levels are depicted in monochrome to make the characters pop out more, and there’s an aggressive scratched filmstock filter effect applied.
This kind of analogue aesthetic gives Mostrocopy a grungy grindhouse style. The 3D models for the backgrounds are not as good as the characters and rely on simple shapes and 2D elements to imply detail.
The utter plainness and the lack of content can make the presentation feel unfinished. Characters don’t cast shadows, which makes them look detached from the stage. Some animation stresses the character rigs in unnatural ways that it’s enough to notice it.
In the end, the backgrounds don’t matter much in a 2D fighter where the only things that matter are the floor. The rest of the background is purely there for flavor. At least the music is awesome and is a bizarre mix of rockabilly, surf rock, and what can be best described as “Scooby Doo music.”
While the cast is huge and impressively varied for such a modest indie game with a small team, there is a noticeable lack of modes and content. This is as bare as it gets.
All the game has to offer is local versus and arcade. There are no boss fights or fun gimmicks to play with. Every character has a plain story depicted with static art and some dull as dishwater text that tells you nothing.
If you can get past the utter lack of stuff to do and just want a straight-to-the-point, no bullshit fighter where you and a friend throw-down locally, then Mostrocopy delivers.
The gameplay is kept deliberately simple so anyone can learn how to play and use any character. Everyone has their basic attack combo that can lead into crouch attacks, uppers, or aerials, which feels good thanks to the punchy sound design.
Where Mostrocopy gets interesting is how it copies Smash Bros. special attacks. Specials have neutral, side, up, and downward moves. Unlike Smash Bros., the specials can be used mid combo, which adds depth to an admittedly simplistic fighter.
Having Smash Bros.-style mechanics with standard fighting game levels was a mistake. Mostrocopy needed varied levels with platforms and fun silly shit in it to make it exciting. There is still fun to be had, but it’s short-lived, and after a couple of rounds, players will feel like moving on.
Mostrocopy doesn’t feel fully fleshed out. It has an imaginative concept with awesome, lurid visuals and cool character designs, but it lacks the budget and manpower to fully realize all that it can be. It’s a miracle that it’s as polished and stylish as it is with meager resources.
Mostrocopy is a fun diversion and freak side-show at best. It’s basic but makes up for it with flair and personality. There needs to be more to do in it. For its price, it’s a fair exchange, but if it stays as an intensely austere experience, then it’s a tough recommendation for anyone serious about fighting games or party games.
Mostrocopy was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a code provided by Seashell Studio. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Mostrocopy is now available for PC (via Steam), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
