Invictus Maneo

**“**Will you remain unvanquished?**”**
— tagline
***Invictus Maneo*** is a crossover fighting game developed and released by indie company Danger Wares in March 2021, made available on the company's main webpage as a free browser game. There are 36 playable fighters, each derived from a different copyrighted property that are unaffiliated with Danger Wares and their works. Inspired by the *Super Smash Bros.* series, players must knock their opponents out of bounds with whatever's available in their kit, with them aiming to have the most points under a time limit or be the last man standing. It differentiates from its inspiration with its hardcore competitive aesthetic and wider representation of media, however, with the creator taking inspiration from the 2006 flash game *Super Smash Flash*.

Though the game was hit with numerous DMCA take-down requests on release, the game's been thriving ever since Danger Wares moved their website to a custom domain and properly credited the owners of each individual property. Since moving to a new domain, the Danger Wares forum was created to keep in contact with their fans, where they hold weekly Ask Me Anything threads and publish trailers for every new character who gets into the game. Game patches, including bug fixes, are also addressed on their forum somewhat regularly. The game is currently in a finished state.

## Gameplay

*See also: Gameplay of Super Smash Bros.*
Up to four fighters can partake in a fight at a time, whether it's a free-for-all or 2-vs-2 match, where they must either have the most points by the end of a timed match or be the last person standing in a survival match, with all players trying to knock each other outside the ring. Though similar to Super Smash Bros., the core of Invictus Maneo's gameplay is considerably more competitive and balanced, removing series staples like battle items and stage hazards. Please see the linked Wikipedia article for a full explanation of how the gameplay for the Super Smash Bros. series works, as this gameplay section will largely cover what Invictus Maneo changes.

The stages in Invictus Maneo, compared to those featured in *Super Smash Bros.*, are far more linear and straightforward, with the main battleground 2.5x the size of Final Destination. Every stage is symmetrical, meaning both sides of each stage are identical. Ledges in this game seal if they're grabbed too much, making them overheat and send fighters straight downward, discouraging ledge hogging and to a lesser degree offstage tomfoolery. Stages are wider and include off-stage platforms to help offset the fact there are no double jumps in Invictus Maneo; good directional input is key to survival. Off-stage platforms can be damaged and eventually they'll be destroyed, but they will respawn again in not long at all.

Invictus Maneo brings various changes to the established formula *Super Smash Bros.* is based on, with the most obvious being that the game has a stronger focus on playing offensively and going in for the kill. For example, this game drops the shield mechanics of *Super Smash Bros.* in favor of an instant guard system, with players only having a few frames to parry incoming attacks. If an attack hits the player's guard, the enemy will be spaced back from the player and take miniscule damage. If the player abuses their guard too much, the blocking window will become noticeably shorter. Frame-perfect guards can reflect projectiles. Any move that can ignore a guard will shatter it, leaving the foe stunned.

### Double Gauges

Each fighter has two special gauges as part of their UI, which can be manually charged by the player but it also fills up whenever they take damage throughout the fight. Once the Showstopper Gauge's complete, the player will be able to unleash their Showstopper, which is usually the most powerful move in their entire arsenal. As soon as the Showstopper is activated, the gauge will reset again from zero, requiring the player to recharge it all the way again. It should be noted that Showstoppers are never allowed in competitive play.

The other gauge is known as the Bonus Gauge, which carries many boons and doesn't take as long to charge. Once filled, the player can trigger one of their Bonus Badges for a bonus effect, which can do a number of things, including being able to heal the player or increase one of their stats. How much the player heals depends on their weight class, with lighter characters healing more since they get launched easily when compared to their heavyweight rivals. The Bonus Gauge is allowed in tournaments designed for its usage.

## Modes

There are six modes in Invictus Maneo, represented by a dangerous-looking mountain on the mode selection screen the player views from various angles depending on which mode they're highlighting at the moment. The different modes are represented by different locations on the mountain. This feature was inspired by the chapter selection screen from the 2018 video game *Celeste*. The name of the mountain is Mt. Evermore.

Glory Summit is obviously found at the peak of Mt. Evermore, represented by an icy battlefield that's surrounded by bleachers and has a portal nearby that lets players visit different locations across the Invictus Maneo universe.
 World TournamentWorld Tournament is the main tournament mode in Invictus Maneo, which works with both the aforementioned competitive and casual settings. Up to 64 players at a time can play in the World Tournament, and any stage can be selected though the game will randomly choose between which stages the players have selected if they don't agree on the same stage. Because of World Tournament's extensive customization, it is widely used by competitive players, unlike Battle Tower which is meant for players who want an extra challenge.
World Tournament is represented by a terminal railway on a cliffside on Mt. Evermore that leads its fancy-looking train from portal to portal, having it travel across the entire Invictus Maneo universe for tourney reasons.
 Victory ScaleVictory Scale is the main single-player campaign in Invictus Maneo, with the player progressing through a series of numbered stages that culminate with a battle against either Rhubarb or Denim at the end, depending on whether the player is playing competitively or casually respectively. There are 10 stages to beat in each playthrough, starting with 7 randomized opponents that may be given special advantages before pitting the player against themselves in Round 8, a multi-man match in Round 9, and the end boss in Round 10.
Victory Scale is represented by the mostly unseen backside of the mountain, which because of space-time continuum issues looks like so many places at once. Rhubarb and Denim wait near the summit of the mountain.
The Lungs of Hell are represented by a cavern leading inside Mt. Evermore, which resembles the open mouth of a massive skull and is animated with fire coming out of the entrance's sides. And Satan lurks inside!

## Characters

There are currently thirty-six playable characters in Invictus Maneo. All the fighters are listed in alphabetical order.

## Stages

There are as many stages in Invictus Maneo as there are characters, with one extra one serving as the game's default arena. Stages are listed in alphabetical order. Currently, the game's main stage does not have an icon.

## Trivia

* Invictus Maneo translates to "I Remain Unvanished" in Latin.
* Credit for the Giygas model goes to PhDedede.