M.U.G.E.N.

M.U.G.E.N (also written as Mugen, MUGEN and M.U.G.E.N.) is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte.[1] Content is created by the community, and thousands of fighters, both original and from popular fiction, have been created. It is written in C and originally used the Allegro library. The latest versions of the engine now use the SDL library.

M.U.G.E.N
Mugen 1.0 title screen.jpg
Menu screen from M.U.G.E.N 1.0
Developer(s) Elecbyte
Platform(s) Linux, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Release July 17, 1999
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Arcade, Team Arcade, Team Co-op VS, Team VS, Survival, Survival Co-op, Training, Watch
Gameplay Edit


Original character Dragon Claw face to face with Darkstalkers character Hsien-Ko in the RAW is WAR ring. The lifebar used was extracted from Capcom vs. SNK 2
The engine uses 4 directional keys along with 7 buttons for gameplay (A, B, C, X, Y, Z and Start), in order to accommodate six-button fighters which use three punches, three kicks and a start button.[2] However, characters do not necessarily use all seven buttons, nor need to follow a traditional six- or four-button format. At most, two players can control characters, with others being controlled by the engine's AI (including Watch Mode, a demo mode where the computer controls all characters). In addition, several gameplay modes are available via the main menu.[1]

The first gameplay mode is the Arcade mode, where a player controlled character encounters CPU controlled characters in a random or set order which can be entirely customized. There are also three different kinds of Team modes: Single, Simul, and Turns. A fourth mode, Tag, is listed in the EXE along with two related script controllers, but was never used. In Team mode, either side can use any of the team modes. Single is identical to not having a team, Simul gives that side a computer-controlled partner who fights simultaneously, and Turns uses a different character for each round of play, varying from a set number usually from 2 to 4 different characters in a row. If set, the characters' starting life will be adjusted according to the number of players on each side. If one side has two characters and the other has only one in one of the Team modes, the side with two characters will each have half their respective normal maximum life values. Pre-Win M.U.G.E.N versions of the engine could have this feature adjusted or disabled via the options screen or the config file, but due to the nature of the hack, the option has not yet been reactivated. Team Co-op is similar to Simul, except both human players fight on the same side at the same time.[3]