Pocket Bravery Review – Can This Indie Fighter Compete with the Big Leagues

Pocket Bravery is a fantastic fighting game that single-player gamers can enjoy thoroughly.

I love fighting games as a casual competitive gamer. In the past, I played these games mostly for their online component. Now, I’ve shifted to enjoying fighting games that have a strong single-player component.

Such is the case with Pocket Bravery, which offers a fleshed-out story mode with a diverse cast of characters and different Single Modes to try them out in different situations. 

There’s also an online component, which is the backbone of any modern fighting game, but I’ll touch on that later. For now, in this Pocket Bravery Review, I’d like to start with the Story:

Story Mode

Pocket Bravery offers a simple yet effective story about a young man named Nuno who leaves a terrorist group called The Pack out of guilt. He then gets thrown into prison, and with the help of a man called Lobo, he awakens a mysterious power called Ichor. 

He then escapes the prison and travels around the world, gathering allies, improving himself, and fighting the inner demons holding him back. All of this is with the hope of stopping The Pack and its leader Hector once and for all.

The story is mostly told through still cutscenes with written dialogues, and it worked perfectly, although I was skeptical at first. However, the story hits the Shonen Battle manga vibes that I’m fond of. 

It’s also a great way to introduce the game’s mechanics, as you’ll be mostly playing a character who’s also learning how to fight with his new powers.

But not everything is perfect!

Despite my best efforts, I came close to giving up due to some annoyances. More than once, you’ll be put against more than one opponent, which hardly works in a 2D Fighter. I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of times I have been locked in a barrage of attacks, unable to move.

Moreover, a boss fight at the end made me wish I was playing against Akuma in Street Fighter.

Despite this, Pocket Bravery offers a great Story Mode worth playing!

You are mistaken if you think that Pocket Bravery doesn’t have other game modes because it does, and there are quite a lot.

• Arcade Mode

This is the usual mode you can find in fighting games since Street Fighter 2 in arcades. You select a character and fight against others, with the difficulty increasing after every win. To this day, I still can’t defeat Hector in the end, but I’ll do it eventually!

• Survival

Survival was a nice surprise. Similar to Arcade Mode, you fight opponents in succession; however, the damage you take carries over. It might seem easy at first, but as you progress through the stages, you’ll start feeling the difficulty curve.

• Trial

This is your typical Combo Trial Mode, where you can attempt to complete different combos for each character. It’s great for getting a feel for the combo systems, but if you really want to dive deeper, the next mode is where you need to be.

• Training

Training Mode has all the tools you need to perfect your gameplay. It’s a well-developed mode with features like recording moves to play them back, frame data, and even options to practice wake-up and guard reactions.

• Combo Factory

This mode is great for practicing and discovering new combo routes since you can choose the moves your character will perform, much like a TAS. In my opinion, this should be part of Training Mode!

• Hot Pursuit

I admire the variety the developers are trying to bring to their game, but this mode needs a bit more polish. Here, you fly as Daisuke, trying to catch Ximena while dodging obstacles. One hit and you’re done. Some obstacles are very difficult to react to, and I often find myself in spots that seem impossible to dodge. 

• Rainbow Edition

This mode is wild, and I want you to experience it blindly, so I won’t say much. If you like League of Legends’ Rapid Fire mode, then you’ll probably enjoy this too.

Unlockables

While playing the game, you’ll notice you’re earning BP. These BP can be used to purchase a wide range of content from the Shop, including different character colors, game modes, stages, characters, and profile customization items.

Playing Online

Playing online is disappointing because you can’t find anyone to play with. I’ve tried multiple times during the day and could never get matched. If you’re someone who judges the success of a fighting game by its online mode, then this game may not be for you.

But! If you’re willing to join Discord groups to find people to play with, then you’ll have a blast, as there is a dedicated community around Pocket Bravery. And with DLC still being released, it shows that the developers haven’t given up on the game.

Is Pocket Bravery Worth it?

Pocket Bravery is a wonderful indie fighting game with an admirable Story Mode and extra modes that will keep you engaged for hours. You can tell it was designed by fighting game fans, as there are plenty of references to other games if you look closely. And most importantly, it has a stage from Portugal, my home country!

The online mode is a desert right now, and the only way to find opponents is to have friends or join a Discord server.

Still, I loved my time with it, and even after this review, I’ll definitely come back to it once in a while, since I have some unfinished business with Hector in Arcade Mode.

In 2025, I have a goal of building my own Arcade Machine, and I’ll make sure to have Pocket Bravery as one of the available games.

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Perfect 10/10

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Fun Story Mode: The story has a cool, anime vibe, perfect for single-player fans who want more than just a fight.

• Tons of Modes to Try: Arcade, Survival, Trial, and quirky modes like Combo Factory and Rainbow Edition keep things fresh.

• Great Training Tools: Packed with features for practicing moves and combos, whether you’re a casual player or aiming to get competitive.

• Plenty to Unlock: Earn BP to buy extras like new character colors, stages, and more stuff in the shop.

Cons:

• Sparse Online Play: Hard to find matches without heading to Discord.

• Difficulty Spikes: Fighting multiple enemies and some bosses can be frustrating.

• Hot Pursuit Mode Needs Work: Dodging obstacles can feel nearly impossible at times.

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Consider the Haute42 G16 (affiliate link)

You can check my full review here.