One Must Fall 2097

aka: OMF, OMF:2097
Moby ID: 234

Description official descriptions

One Must Fall 2097 is a fighting game with a twist. Instead of the usual Street Fighter II trend of games, in this game you play one of 10 characters controlling one of 10 huge robots in a fighting match.

According to the game, in the year 2097, the human race is controlled by one company known as W.A.R., which started as a small company providing the Earth government with construction robots. After a while W.A.R. grew further and further and eventually took over Earth Gov.

In the year 2097, W.A.R. decided to colonize Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons. Because of the harsh climate and difficult terrain, they sought for one person, the best of the best, to rule Ganymede for them. They've decided the best way to choose this person is to organize a huge contest, in which the winner will earn a seat in the W.A.R. high counsel and control of Ganymede.

You're one of the contestants, and you want to win.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

9 People

Original Concept
Design
Programming
Additional Programming
Graphics / Artwork
Music
Sound
Writing / Dialogue / Story
Playtesting

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 12 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 85 ratings with 10 reviews)

Best fighter for the PC (which doesn't mean a lot but....)

The Good
This game is one of the very few 2D arcade fighter for the PC that really shine. It's original, fun to play, and still holds it's own after all these years. The graphics were very good and still work nowadays, but the real winner in this game are the tournament modes which are a great way of extending gameplay and were a first in 2-D arcade fighters. You can customize your 'bot in lots of ways, and offers an unique challenge that lasts a lot more than the standard "arcade/story" game mode.

The Bad
There are a lot of flaws with this game that will make it a not-so-hot game to the eyes of fighting aficionados. Mainly the lame special moves, the lack of scrolling arenas (which REALLY cramps up the action) and a strikingly slow-paced action, when compared to other beat 'em ups. Plus some of the bots are really lame.

The only other gripe I have with the game is a love or hate thing. Quite frankly giant bots are cool if they tear up cities and cause nuclear explosions when they fight. If you take stuff like that away the premise then gets really lame and I'm guessing most fighting veterans like me prefer the good 'ol "in your face" fist fights between humans than this "light" version of bot mashing.

The Bottom Line
For a PC gamer this is as good as it gets. It's original, it's got more gameplay and re-playability in it than those lame console ports and it delivers some serious fun. For those already versed in the world of "Sho-Ryu-Kens" this is no masterpiece, but it's still quite good and offers a nice change of pace.

DOS · by Zovni (10504) · 2001

One of the greatest fighting games of all time is now freeware!

The Good
It looks great! Those shiny 3D modeled robots fighting in cool arenas really really look astounding! The control system is intuitive: Precise controls, easy to do combos.

There is no gore in this game (instead lots of machine parts spread around). The most addictive part is definetely the tournament mode where you can upgrade your robot, and fight in your way!

The Bad
The backgrounds unfortunately do not scroll.

The Bottom Line
An incredible piece of gaming software, which is a lot of fun to play. And it's now freeware! So what are you waiting for? Visit the Diversions web site, and download your own copy (only 6 megs).

DOS · by IJan (1971) · 1999

The best fighting game for the PC.

The Good
The music is very good, the gameplay is great, and the backgrounds are awesome. The varied robots are actually very different from one another, and not just when it comes to secret moves. The controls are very simple and intuitive, with only two attack buttons! In the story mode, you can pick from different pilots with varying speed, stamina and power to fight in the robot of your choice providing extra replay value.

The very best part of the game though is the tournament mode. You start out with a bare bone Jaguar robot and a wussy pilot. Each fight you win gives you money for upgrades and training, and later you might trade in your robot for a different model. You have to be careful because if you lose, you might have to sell some valuable components to pay for the repair costs. Even if you win, you might not get much money if you suffer a lot of damage during the fight, and the better your robot the more the repairs cost! This ability to upgrade your fighter and to change robots at any time you can afford one extends the replay value of the game beyond that of ANY other fighting game on ANY system! The many secret characters don't hurt either.

The Bad
N/A

The Bottom Line
Play the best fighting game on the PC and arguably in the world. The tournament mode will drag you back again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...

DOS · by Kalirion (565) · 2001

[ View all 10 player reviews ]

Trivia

The early beta version of this excellent fighting game was originally a side-scrolling karate game. Known then only as One Must Fall, there were no robots to be seen (hence the absence of "2097" in the working title), though the fluid character animation and good fighting controls were already apparent. -Source http://underdogs.cjb.net

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

One Must Fall
Released 1993 on DOS
One Must Fall: Battlegrounds
Released 2003 on Windows
All Walls Must Fall
Released 2017 on Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch
You Must
Released 2021 on Windows
One Step After Fall
Released 2022 on Windows, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Nameless: The One Thing You Must Recall
Released 2014 on Windows, Macintosh
Must Dash Amigos
Released 2019 on Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Humanity Must Perish
Released 2017 on Android, Linux, Windows

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 234
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Tomer Gabel.

Additional contributors: Trixter, Macintrash, Brolin Empey, Kasey Chang, Robyrt, emanjonez.

Game added August 21, 1999. Last modified March 27, 2024.