Shadow Strike
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Two shadow ninjas clash in lethal combat. Master punches, kicks, and special attacks to defeat the AI opponent in best-of-3 rounds.
How to play Shadow Strike
Objective: Win two rounds before the AI does by draining its 100 HP to zero, or by holding more HP when the 60 second round timer expires.
Pick a difficulty on the start screen with Left and Right, then press Enter. A match is best of three rounds and the first fighter to two round wins takes it. Each round opens with a FIGHT flash, then both fighters spawn with 100 HP and a full 100 energy bar. Move with A and D or the arrow keys and jump with W, Up, or Space. In the air your horizontal control drops to about 60 percent of walking speed.
You have three ground attacks. Punch on J or Z does 10 damage with 35 range and almost no startup, so it is your fastest poke. Kick on K or X does 18 damage with 45 range but winds up and recovers slower. Special on L or C does 25 damage with the longest 55 range, but it costs 30 energy. Energy refills at 15 per second, so a saved special returns every two seconds.
Hold Down or S while grounded to block, which cuts incoming damage to 20 percent and only nudges you back instead of causing hitstun. You cannot block in the air or mid attack. Any attack thrown while airborne becomes an aerial kick worth 12 damage. A hit of 25 or more, or the finishing blow, knocks you down. You rise from a knockdown with about half a second of invincibility.
Attacks fire on the key press, not on hold, so tap to strike rather than mashing. The special also forces a knockdown, buying space to reposition. If the 60 second timer runs out, the higher HP bar wins and a tie goes to you. Press Escape to pause for Resume, Restart, or Quit. After a match, Enter returns to the menu and R restarts.
Tips and strategy
Bank energy for knockdowns
The special costs 30 energy but deals exactly 25 damage, the threshold that forces a knockdown. Land it and your opponent hits the floor, giving you a free window to recover energy or reposition.
Punch to check approaches
Punch has the fastest startup and near instant recovery, so use it as a quick jab when the AI walks in. Kick and special leave you exposed during their longer recovery, so save them for after a stagger.
Block still bleeds you
Blocking leaks 20 percent of the damage through, so holding Down forever loses the timer race if you fall behind. Block to survive a read, then punish the recovery. Stop turtling once you hold the HP lead.
Race the clock with HP
If time expires the higher HP bar wins and ties go to you. When you are ahead late, retreat and stall. When you are behind, force offense before the 60 seconds run out or you lose the round.
Frequently asked questions
How do I win a match?
A match is best of three rounds and you need two round wins to take it. You win a round by reducing the opponent HP to zero, or by holding more HP than it when the 60 second timer expires. The score resets each match, and difficulty changes only the AI, not the format.
Why will my special not fire?
The special on L or C costs 30 energy and will not start if your bar is below that. Energy regenerates at 15 per second, so wait a couple of seconds after spending it. It also cannot start while you are attacking, blocking, in hitstun, or getting up.
What do the difficulty settings change?
Difficulty controls the AI only. On easy it decides slowly and rarely blocks, on normal it is quicker and blocks more, and on hard it reacts fastest, blocks up to 40 percent of the time up close, and can block the startup of your attacks. HP, energy, and damage stay the same.
Are my results saved?
Yes. The game stores your total wins, losses, knockouts, and games played in your browser using local storage under the shadow-strike-save key. Nothing is sent anywhere, and clearing your browser data or playing in a different browser resets those totals to zero.