The $3 Sonic the Fighters Money Match
The pop-up arcade at Tsubasacon is quiet. The closing ceremony of this three-day festival is just two hours away. Things are finally starting to wind down after a weekend of anime, games, and cosplay.
Formerly a coal town, Charleston, West Virginia must be seen to be believed. Even as the state’s capital, its streets are forever quiet. The town is flanked by Interstates 64, 77, and 79- It’s likely that of the millions that take this path to parts unknown, very few people stop to see Charleston.
“Let’s fucking go!”
Malakai Knuckles has just taken the first game in the most important match of his life. His opponent, Beep Fang, hangs her head and drums her fingers on the Start Button. In the moment, Malakai’s confidence is boundless. He’s not even using his main character.
The game? Sonic the Fighters. The prize? Three dollars that has mysteriously appeared on the arcade machine’s control panel. And finally, the twist: Neither of them actually knows how to play.
Any fighting game player can tell you that playing for money, a Money Match, is whole new experience. When winning can buy a meal or even pay your rent, the gloves come off. Today at Tsubasacon, grime takes all.
Beep pauses on the character select screen and recomposes herself. She’s played Fang the Sniper for six minutes, and learned to block after four. Appearing exclusively in Sonic Spinoffs, Fang’s a scoundrel who uses a Popgun to attack his opponents from long range. This is rare for 3D Fighters, which usually remove projectiles in favor of true-to-life martial arts. This zoning strategy has worked on nearly all of Beep’s prior opponents. But then again, that was before there was money on the line.
Malakai, in contrast, is smothering. He’s discovered very early that Sonic the Fighters’ defensive options are limited resources. If he can make Beep waste her shield, she’ll be defenseless. By the second round of their first match, Malakai has taken to dashing right in his opponent’s face. The slow draw and long recovery of Fang’s Popgun makes it a poor choice up close, but Beep boldly continues to mash. By game two, she’s been counter hit over a dozen times.
Incredibly, Beep weathers the storm and holds on until both competitors find themselves at set point. The score is 2–2. Malakai’s headstrong aggression makes him not only predictable, but ever-vulnerable to counterattack. Beep has adapted, however, and is slowly adding layers to her defensive strategy. In the first round of their final game, she opens with a backdash, the safest option by far. With comfortable space between both characters, Fang the Sniper begins his onslaught. Could this be a comeback?
In just a few minutes, the body language of both competitors has completely changed. The weight of two losses a piece has turned this bubbly exhibition into a bloody grudge match, and neither player will give an inch. Once again, Charleston returns to its eerie silence.
With the timer dwindling and neither player having a sufficient advantage, the final round turns timid. Malakai glances briefly at the pile of money, and makes his final decisive move: A brazen forward dash into harm’s way.
With a life lead the size of an eyelash, Malakai Knuckles is three dollars richer…
Special Thanks to Dave of Psychic Drive for providing the arcade machines for Tsubasacon this year! Check out his website for booking information: https://www.psychicdrive.com/
