Cagecraft

About Cagecraft

Cagecraft is mixed martial arts with both halves of the sport in it. Striking is jab, cross, kick and guard; the takedown changes the fight entirely, and the ground game is a different set of decisions rather than a cutscene.

Twenty fighters from twenty countries each have their own power, speed and cardio, and cardio is the one that decides late rounds. A fighter who throws everything in round one is a different proposition in round three.

Four ways to fight

Exhibition to pick any two fighters, Career to build one, the World Cage Cup as a bracket, and Cage Royale with fifteen or twenty fighters in it. The Royale is the one worth trying once the striking makes sense.

Three speeds

Normal, Fast and Turbo change the clock rather than the difficulty. Turbo is where the cardio management stops being theoretical.

Controls

W, A, S and D to move, J to jab, K for the cross and L to kick (or to work a submission from on top). U grapples for a takedown or escapes from underneath, Space guards, Shift dodges, Q switches target, I jumps and O throws a jumping kick. Progress saves in your browser and can be exported.

How to play Cagecraft

1. Choose how you want to fight: Exhibition, Career, the World Cage Cup or Cage Royale.
2. Pick your fighter and check the card before you commit. Each one lists a country, a style and ratings for power, speed and cardio.
3. Set the bout speed to Normal, Fast or Turbo, then press Enter the Cage.
4. Move with W, A, S and D, and learn the striking keys from the in-game guide: J is the jab, K the cross and L the kick, with Space to guard and Shift to dodge. I jumps, O throws a jumping kick and Q switches target.
5. Press U to grapple for a takedown and take the fight to the mat. On top, L becomes your submission attempt; underneath, U becomes your escape.
6. Win inside the distance by knockout or submission. If the bout goes all three rounds, the judges decide it on damage and takedowns.

Cagecraft tips and strategy

• Close the distance first. Strikes thrown from too far away still cost energy even when they miss. If the game tells you to move closer before committing, listen to it.
• Ease off to recover. Stamina comes back when you stop throwing, so a few seconds of guarding and moving after a flurry pays for the next one. When the low stamina warning appears, that is the cue.
• Save the jumping kick. A jump alone costs 12 stamina and a jumping kick 32 in total, and a guarding opponent can block it. You must land before you can jump again, so a missed one leaves you exposed.
• Build the submission on top. Each press of L from the top position costs 18 stamina and adds to a submission meter that finishes the fight at 100. It fills twice as fast against a fighter who is not guarding.
• Escape from underneath. Hold Space to guard, which slowly drains your opponent’s submission progress, and tap U to work towards standing up. Each escape attempt costs 12 stamina, so pace the taps.
• Know the scramble ends. If nobody finishes or escapes, the fighters are stood back up after about 20 seconds on the ground. Takedowns still count on the judges’ cards either way.

Modes and how they differ

Exhibition is the place to learn the controls and to try fighters you have not used. Career is where XP comes from, and it is what the rankings on this page are built on. Progress lives in your browser, with a save code for keeping or moving a career.

The World Cage Cup runs as a group stage followed by semifinals and a final, so a single loss in the groups does not have to end your run. Cage Royale is a different kind of fight altogether: with fifteen or twenty fighters in the octagon you need the target key to choose who you are dealing with, and fighters can be eliminated by cage pressure as well as by strikes.

Speed settings are worth experimenting with once the basics feel natural. Because Turbo speeds up the clock rather than making opponents tougher, it compresses a three-round fight into a short burst where every wasted strike shows in your stamina bar.