Play Clay Fighter Online

Clay Fighter came out for the Sega Genesis in 1994, developed by Visual Concepts and published by Interplay. It was one of those oddball fighting games that showed up during the console wars, a time when every developer was trying to cash in on the genre's popularity with something a little different. Instead of martial artists or monsters, you got a cast of characters molded entirely out of clay, which gave the whole thing a weird, stop-motion charm that stood out, even if it wasn't always for the right reasons.

You pick a fighter like Bad Mr. Frosty or Ickybod Clay and duke it out in a series of one-on-one matches. The main goal is to deplete your opponent's health bar using a basic set of punches, kicks, and special moves, all of which have this heavy, exaggerated squish to them. The game uses a four-button layout for attacks, and pulling off special moves involves fairly standard fighting game inputs, though the sluggish response can make timing a challenge. Matches are slow and a bit clumsy, with characters that feel weighty and unrefined compared to the snappier action of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. It's a game that feels as silly and unpolished as it looks, but that's also where a lot of its strange appeal comes from.