Jago

Jago only goes forwards. Enemies appear in waves and close faster than expected. Hammering the attack button clears the small ones, but against anything that holds a weapon raised, rushing the counter simply walks you into it.

The skill to build is the half-beat pause: let the enemy's swing come out, then step in. Easy to describe, genuinely hard when three of them arrive together. What helps is retreating a single step so they file into a line, then dealing with them one at a time from the front.

The art uses saturated colour against dark scenery, so the impact flashes stay readable even when the screen is crowded. Anyone who likes a brawler without long combos to memorise, but still wants timing to matter, will feel that within the first couple of minutes.