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Neon Knuckles

Arcade fighting. Online 1v1 with rollback netcode, 8 fighters and 5 stages.

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Fighters: 8
Stages: 5
Netcode: Rollback, with a server referee
Engine: Canvas 2D, ES modules

About the game

Online multiplayer
Versus AI
Single-player

Neon Knuckles is an arcade fighter you can play in a browser tab. Pick one of eight fighters, choose a stage and take on the computer, or go online for a 1v1 against another player.

Online fights use rollback netcode on a deterministic simulation, so both players see the same fight and input stays responsive. A lobby, chat and accounts sit around the matches.

A fight engine that never touches the clock

The engineering

The fight simulation is deterministic: it never reads the DOM, the clock or a random number, so the same inputs always produce the same fight. That one rule is what makes rollback netcode possible. Each player's machine predicts, and when the other player's input arrives late the game rewinds and replays, so online fights stay responsive.

The CPU opponent presses the same input bits a human would, and the game is tested with deterministic simulations and CPU-versus-CPU matches. Fighters are drawn from a skeletal rig on Canvas 2D, with a lobby, chat and accounts on a Node and WebSocket server.

The look and feel

Eight fighters, each with their own look, moves and super: Sora Vey, Raze Kovac, Kessel-9, Nia Kestrel, Bram Tolliver, Vesper Lune, Tessa Quill, and Pip and Bolt. They fight across five stages: a rooftop, a night market, an underpass, a pool hall and an overlook.

The art leans into neon-lit city nights, with bold HUD and big hit effects.

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