BRUTALITY is a 3D UFC-style fighting game for Windows. You can fight solo against AI or put up to four players in the same cage with gamepads. The controls below are the full move set from the current build.
The basics
Every match starts in the fighter select screen. Choose the arena, the fighter models, and a style for each corner, then press FIGHT. In a live match, Esc returns to the menu and Enter returns from the KO screen.
The goal is the same in every mode: damage the opponent enough to open a KO window, then finish the fight. Health, stamina and limb damage all matter. A fighter with a broken guard arm loses defense; a fighter with a damaged torso folds under body shots. Watch the body diagram, not just the health bars.
Keyboard controls (Player 1)
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| W A S D | Move around the cage |
| J | Jab |
| K | Cross |
| H | Hook — hold H + J or K for haymakers |
| U | Uppercut |
| T / R | Low kicks (lead leg / rear leg) |
| H + T / H + R | Head kicks |
| B (hold) | High block |
| B + S | Low block |
| P | Parry |
| Space | Dodge — hold a direction to choose the slip |
| Shift + punch | Dig the body (torso damage) |
| Tab | Tag out in TAG 2V2 |
| Mash strike / parry / dodge | Escape a grapple or ground position |
| S + haymaker (wrestling) | Takedown attempt |
| J (or gamepad X) on a downed foe | Climb into mount / continue the beatdown |
Gamepad controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Left stick | Move |
| X | Jab |
| Y | Cross |
| A / B | Low kicks |
| LB + A / B | Head kicks |
| LB + X / Y | Hook |
| RB + X / Y | Uppercut |
| LB + RB + X / Y | Haymaker |
| RT (hold) | High block |
| LT (hold) | Low block |
| Trigger press | Parry |
| LS dodge | Dodge — L3 then a direction, or a strong flick |
| D-pad up | Tag out |
| D-pad Down + haymaker | Takedown |
Up to four gamepads are supported. In brawl modes the first four connected pads are assigned to P1–P4 in connection order. Hot-plugging a pad resets that slot so a held button cannot fire on reconnect. The keyboard slot stays available as a fallback.
Striking: punches and kicks
Punches are the volume game. The jab and cross are your fastest tools; the hook is slower but swings around a guard, and the uppercut punishes fighters who duck into it. Hold the hook button with a punch for a haymaker — more damage, more recovery. A parried haymaker leaves the puncher open.
Kicks trade speed for range and damage. Low kicks attack the legs and slow movement; head kicks are the big finish but take a long chamber and can be slipped or ducked. The right head kick crosses the body, while the left is the lead-leg version. Use kicks to control distance, not as your only attack.
Hold Shift with a punch to dig the body. Body shots do less visible damage at first but bruise the torso; a badly damaged torso folds the fighter and drains their output. Mix body and head attacks so the guard cannot sit in one place.
Defense: guard, parry and guard breaks
Hold high guard against punches and head kicks, and low guard against low kicks and body punches. The wrong height eats the shot. Correct height blocks chip a small amount of HP and drain the gold guard meter. When the meter is empty, heavy blocked strikes can break the guard into a stun.
A blocked strike chews the catching arm. If that arm takes too much damage it snaps at the mid-forearm in a unique blocking fracture. A broken arm stays disabled; the fighter's guard and punch output drop for the rest of the fight.
The parry (P / trigger press) is the high-risk, high-reward option. A perfect parry opens a guaranteed counter — karate turns it into a single guaranteed counter-punch. A missed parry leaves you open. Do not spam it.
Dodge lines
Dodge with Space plus a direction, or flick the left stick. Each dodge avoids a different family of strikes:
- Slip avoids straight punches and head kicks.
- Duck avoids hooks, haymakers and head kicks.
- Back lean avoids straights and uppercuts.
Hooks catch slips and leans. Uppercuts catch ducks. A head kick catches a lean. A wrestling shot grabs a duck. Low kicks and body punches beat every dodge line, and the karate counter ignores them all. Read the wind-up and pick the right line; guessing wrong is how you get knocked out.
Ground game and takedowns
Wrestling fighters can shoot a takedown with Down + haymaker (keyboard S + hold H + J/K, gamepad D-pad Down + haymaker). A successful takedown starts a grapple. Mash strikes, parry or dodge to win the tug-of-war and escape. The top fighter can advance to mount and start ground strikes; the bottom fighter can mash to kick free.
From mount, the top fighter can finish with a beatdown. The bottom fighter must escape before the count. Ground impacts add camera shake and damage; a KO on the ground still opens a finish window.
Modes and tagging
DUEL is 1v1. TAG 2V2 keeps one active fighter per team; tag out with Tab or D-pad up. ALL BRAWL puts four fighters in the cage for a last-one-standing free-for-all. TEAM BRAWL runs two teams of two simultaneously with no friendly fire.
In brawl modes the camera pulls back to keep every living fighter framed. Use the arena: the octagon apron, the street bay floor and the yard furniture are all part of the fight. Corners and obstacles can cut off escape routes.
Tips that win fights
- Watch the guard height. If the opponent holds high block, kick the legs and dig the body.
- Do not empty your stamina. Haymakers and head kicks cost a lot. Keep enough to dodge or parry the counter.
- Target the arms. A blocked strike still damages the catching arm. Enough blocked heavy shots break the guard permanently.
- Punish the whiff. A missed haymaker or head kick has a long recovery; step in with a cross or uppercut.
- Use the body shot when they shell up. Shift + punch damages the torso and makes the guard drop.
- Learn one dodge line at a time. Slip beats straights, duck beats hooks, lean beats uppercuts.
- On the ground, mash early. The escape tug-of-war is easier before the top fighter settles into mount.
System requirements
| OS | Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit |
| GPU | Vulkan-capable graphics card with current drivers |
| Input | Keyboard or gamepad (up to four pads) |
| Disk | About 40 MB free after extraction |
| Download | 18 MB ZIP: game, shaders, both fighter models and VC++ runtime |
Frequently asked questions
Can I play BRUTALITY with a controller?
Yes. Up to four gamepads are supported, including hot-plugging mid-session. The keyboard remains available for one player.
Does BRUTALITY have online multiplayer?
No. The current build is local multiplayer and single-player against AI. Tag and brawl modes are played on one PC.
Why does my fighter's guard break?
Blocked heavy strikes damage the catching arm and drain the guard meter. When the arm takes too much damage it breaks and stays disabled for the fight.
How do I escape a takedown?
Mash any strike, parry or dodge input during the grapple. On the ground, keep mashing before the top fighter settles into mount.
Ready to try it? Buy BRUTALITY or read more about the UFC-style game options on PC.