M.U.G.E.N.
General Information | ||||||
Genre | Original developer | Originally released | Current developer | Remade in | MP amount of players | Original |
Fighting | Elecbyte | 1999 | Elecbyte | 2015 (most recent update) | 8, both offline and online | Original |
Specific Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Category | Specifics | Sources / Comments |
Purchase | Copy purchase | Subscription | Free to play |
Cut Content | Graphic | Character | Gameplay | Expansions | Other | Nothing was ever cut, the base game has always been Kung Fu Man, his respective stage and a testing stage. |
Censorship | Language | Violence | Nudity | No censorship, custom characters can make the game as sexual or as violent as the player desires. |
DRM | uPlay | Steam | Denuvo | Origin | Other | DRM-Free |
In-game purchases | Cosmetics | Boosters | Items | Characters | Maps | Other |
Paid DLC | Cosmetics | Boosters | Soundtrack | Items | Characters | Maps | Expansions |
Free DLC | Cosmetics | Boosters | Soundtrack | Items | Characters | Maps | Expansions |
Modding support | Banned | None | Limited | Full | The game pretty much allows you to do anything as was intended from the beginning, including playing through non-fighting stages from other video games such as Mario. |
False advertising | No | Yes | Does what it says on the tin, though the gameplay isn't that good and usually requires manual balancing on behalf of the player to make fights fair and interesting. |
Demo availability | No | Yes | As is the case with many freeware games, the base game is essentially the demo. |
Bugs at launch | None | Insubstantial | Moderate | Heavy | The game engine isn't perfect and can be broken if you try hard enough. |
Multiplayer | Local | Official server | P2P | LAN | User servers | Unofficial | I.K.E.M.E.N., which released in 2014. |
Moderation (online) | None | Insubstantial | Moderate | Heavy |
Comparison to originals / fanmade mods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Category | Included in M.U.G.E.N | Included in originals / fanmade mods | Sources / Comments |
GNU/Linux Ports | Yes | Yes | Originally developed for GNU-based operating systems, though last update was in 2002. WinMUGEN can be emulated on most emulators. |
Higher Resolutions | Yes | Yes | Game can run at 1080p widescreen with supersampling. Default skinpack is designed with 800x600 in mind, but there are many other choices out there for those with larger resolutions. |
Online Multiplayer | No | Yes | See Multiplayer. |
Graphical Changes | No | Yes | Skinpacks, which change the layout, colors and resolution of the user interface. |
Bug Fixes | Yes | Yes | Once in a blue moon, fighters and stages get fixed by the community. |
Offline Multiplayer | Yes | No | Up to 8 people provided you have the means to make it work using USB controllers and multi-ports. |
Mod Archive/Database | No | Yes | Both an Archive (with very limited choices and ran by Jews) and a far superior, near-complete Database that doubles as a wiki. |
Gamer's Opinion
M.U.G.E.N. is far from the best fighter out there, but is the poster-child for any freeware game, past, present and future to follow in terms of how addons are preserved. Despite negative influences from certain parties who wish to gatekeep, mods have remained relatively free, circulating throughout the community and it is easier now than it ever has been to find mods for the game, whether via torrent or individual downloads.