Indie Pogo

Lore & Background

Indie Pogo is a platform fighter in which up to four players battle across open arenas with platforms, aiming to deplete opponents' health or knock them off the screen. Its primary gameplay mechanic is auto-jumping: characters automatically jump back into the air upon landing. Each character has aerial melee attacks and special moves derived from their original game, such as Shovel Knight wielding his Relics or Captain Viridian inverting gravity. Players can perform double-jumps, directional air-dodges, mid-air grabs, parkour movement, and charge-based ground attacks. A unique 'pogo combo' involves repeatedly bouncing off opponents' heads without taking damage, earning gems that can be used to activate a character-specific super move. An update in May 2019 added optional gameplay modifiers called 'Augments'.

Reader's Guide

Indie Pogo holds significance as a crossover fighting game that celebrates independent game culture by bringing together characters from over 50 indie titles. Its auto-jumping mechanic distinguishes it from other platform fighters like Super Smash Bros., which inspired its development alongside the iOS game Slam Bots. The game's Kickstarter success, raising nearly $42,000 against a $25,000 goal, demonstrated community interest in indie crossovers. Its legacy is marked by a robust feature set including arcade mode, Challenge Mode, Infinite Pogo, training mode, local and online multiplayer, and an in-game shop for unlockable content. However, the game's future was clouded when development of a Nintendo Switch port was halted in July 2022 due to unspecified licensing issues, leaving the Windows version as the primary release. The game's inclusion of collectible trophies and premium downloadable content reflects its attempt to engage players beyond core gameplay.

Did You Know?

• Indie Pogo features characters from more than 50 different indie games.
• A May 2019 update added optional gameplay modifiers called 'Augments'.

The Bounce-Driven Combat System

Indie Pogo distinguishes itself within the platform-fighter genre through a single, defining mechanic: auto-jumping. Rather than requiring players to manually press a jump button after every landing, characters in this Lowe Bros. Studios title spring back into the air the instant their feet touch a platform or the ground. This constant vertical motion shapes every interaction in the arena, from aerial melee strikes to the signature pogo combo, in which a player repeatedly bounces off an opponent's head without suffering damage. Each successful pogo combo awards gems, and collecting five unlocks a character-specific super move. Beyond the core bounce, the move set includes a double-jump, a directional air-dodge, a mid-air grab, parkour-style wall and ground movement, and a charge-based ground attack. In May 2019, an update introduced Augments, optional modifiers (up to three per character) that alter gameplay, such as the Air Jump augment granting an extra mid-air leap or the Double Edged augment doubling both damage dealt and damage taken. Battles take place across 15 stages, many of which offer unlockable alternate layouts, and up to four players can clash simultaneously.

A Crossover Roster Spanning the Indie Scene

Indie Pogo's most striking feature is its roster, which pulls characters and settings from more than fifty independent video games. At launch in July 2018, players could choose from fourteen fighters, including Shovel Knight, who wields his signature Relics in aerial combat, and Captain Viridian from VVVVVV, whose special move inverts her own gravity. Other represented titles include Teslagrad, the Bit.Trip series, and Freedom Planet. The roster continued to grow after release: by October 2021, five additional characters had been added through free updates, and four more were planned, bringing the projected total to twenty-three. Each fighter's special moves are drawn directly from their original game's mechanics, creating a crossover experience where players recognize and celebrate the source material. Beyond the core roster, the game offers purchasable character skins, taunts, and profile emblems through an in-game coin shop, with select premium skins and emblems available as downloadable content. Collectible trophies themed after other indie titles can be earned by completing arcade mode with each character, winning a bonus game, or spending coins at an in-game gashapon machine.

From Self-Funding to Kickstarter and Beyond

Lowe Bros. Studios took a long, independent path to bring Indie Pogo to players. The team self-funded development for three years before turning to crowdfunding, launching a Kickstarter campaign on September 12, 2017, with a modest $25,000 goal. The campaign ultimately raised nearly $42,000, validating the community's appetite for a crossover fighter rooted in the indie scene. The game drew creative inspiration from the Super Smash Bros. series and an iOS title called Slam Bots, with the developers aiming to create a multiplayer experience in that spirit. After the successful funding push, Indie Pogo shipped for Microsoft Windows on July 10, 2018. In December 2020, Lowe Bros. Studios announced a Nintendo Switch port that would include the full character roster. However, in July 2022, the studio revealed that development on the Switch version had been halted due to unspecified licensing issues, leaving the port in a state of uncertainty despite the game still being listed as in development for that platform.

Game Modes, Progression, and the Coin Economy

Beyond quick local four-player brawls and online matchmaking, Indie Pogo offers a layered set of single-player and structured modes. The arcade mode challenges players through a gauntlet of opponents, culminating in a showdown against Crow, the final boss from Starblade's Nefarious. Challenge Mode presents specific scenario-based tasks reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. Event Matches, while Infinite Pogo tasks players with defeating as many opponents as possible before their health runs out. A traditional training mode lets players practice against an AI opponent. Progression is driven by a coin economy: every battle awards coins that can be spent at an in-game shop on new characters, stages, skins, emblems, and taunts. Additional skins and emblems are sold as premium downloadable content. The game also features collectible trophies based on other indie titles, obtainable by completing arcade mode with each character, winning a bonus game, or purchasing them from a gashapon machine using accumulated coins.