SMK Knuckle Cypher
Free 3D street fighter. Keyboard, gamepad or touch. Prototype build.
About the game
The crowd is the ring. Make it loud.
SMK Knuckle Cypher is an original 3D street fighting game from SMK Esports. Underground fights run in Furnace 9, a cage-lit basement under the train lines, where the crowd forms the edge of the ring and pushes you back in.
Mix strikes, grapples, throws and submissions to fill your Hype meter. Fill it, taunt to go AMPED, then land the Mic Drop: a slow-motion cinematic finisher that puts a ROCKED opponent to sleep. Win two rounds by Lights Out, by making them tap, or on the clock.
Play the CPU ladder in Arcade or go head-to-head with a friend in local Versus on one keyboard, two gamepads or a phone. Everything runs in the browser and there is nothing to install.
Every match earns points and XP. Level up your SMK account, then spend points in the SMK Shop on four extra fighters and on outfits for every fighter, including the SMK team kit. Training mode shows startup, active and recovery frames, frame advantage and live hitboxes.
Guide
How to fight
- Strike. Punch is a fast three-hit string; Kick is slower with longer reach. Hold toward the foe and press either for a Heavy that crushes guard.
- Grab. From the clinch: Punch throws, Kick throws knees, Grab again starts a Lock-In submission (mash to escape), direction + Grab shoves.
- Use the Cypher. Throw or shove a foe into the crowd and they bounce back for a Rebound Throw, or get held up for free hits. Pin them on a speaker stack or pillar for a Hazard Slam.
- Guard and Snapback. Hold Block to guard. Tap it just before a strike lands to reverse it.
- Build Hype. Mix it up; spamming one move goes stale. At full Hype, Taunt to go AMPED.
- Mic Drop. While AMPED, Grab then Taunt. On a ROCKED foe it is Lights Out.
Controls
| Action | Player 1 | Player 2 | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move | WASD | Arrow keys | Stick / D-pad |
| Punch | J | Num1 | X / □ |
| Kick | K | Num2 | A / ✕ |
| Grab | L | Num3 | B / ○ |
| Block / Snapback | Space | Num0 | RB / R1 |
| Taunt / Amp up | H | Num5 | Y / △ |
| Pause | Esc or P | Start / Options |
On a phone, on-screen buttons appear automatically: a left stick plus P, K, G, B, T and a MIC button when it is ready.
Roster
Twelve fighters, five styles
| Fighter | Nickname | Styles | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brick | The Foundry Wall | Iron / Block | Furnace Row |
| Nova | Track Star | Flow / Muay | Harbor Heights |
| Lowkey | Silent Choke | Python / Block | Underpass |
| Monarch | Owns The Block | Block / Iron | Crown Street |
| Jinx | Eight Limbs | Muay / Python | Spin Cycle |
| Deacon | Old Iron | Iron / Python | Drydock 3 |
| Tempo | On Beat | Flow / Block | Rooftop 41 |
| Volt | Live Wire | Block / Flow | Market Ave |
| Anvil (Shop, Lv 3) | Hammer Hands | Iron / Muay | Rail Yard 9 |
| Rix (Shop, Lv 4) | Rooftop Ghost | Flow / Python | Antenna Hill |
| Sable (Shop, Lv 6) | Night Shift | Python / Iron | Depot Lane |
| Moxie (Shop, Lv 8) | Fast Talk | Muay / Flow | Neon Mile |
Styles: Block (street haymakers), Muay (clinch and knees), Flow (speed and spinning kicks), Iron (big slams), Python (locks and chokes). Each fighter's primary style sets their strikes and Mic Drop; the secondary sets their throw and submission.
Gallery
Screenshots
Scroll sideways. Select an image to enlarge it.
Watch
Gameplay
Is SMK Knuckle Cypher free?
Yes. It is a free prototype that runs in any modern browser. Points are earned by playing and only spent in the in-game SMK Shop; there is no real money and no ads.
Can I play with a friend?
Yes. Pick Versus for local 2-player: share the keyboard (WASD side and arrows/numpad side) or plug in two gamepads.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Touch controls appear automatically. A desktop or laptop with a controller gives the best experience. If it runs slowly, lower Quality in Options.
Is this finished?
No. This is an early vertical slice with one arena and twelve fighters. Story mode, more venues, online play and create-a-fighter are on the wishlist.
Who made it?
SMK Knuckle Cypher was made by and for SMK Esports. It is an original game: the fighters, arena, music and sound are original, and the beat and effects are synthesized in code. Character base bodies and animations are by Quaternius (CC0), and rendering uses three.js (MIT).