5 tips for beginners - Fights in Tight Spaces

Published , by Ozzie Mejia

Good morning, agent. If you are receiving this message, then you are being called upon to use your top notch fighting skills in order to defeat the many enemies of justice. The walls are closing in on our enemies, but as it turns out, that just means a lot of close-quarter brawling. Are you strong enough to stand tall in Fights in Tight Spaces? The answer is probably "no," at least at first. Luckily, Shacknews is here with five tips to make you a formidable agent.

1. Learn what each enemy does

Your strategy will vary depending on what adversaries stand before you. Knowledge is power, so when you encounter a different enemy type for the first time, make sure to hover over it to learn more about them. This is where you'll learn crucial information, like how much damage they can inflict. You'll also learn other critical traits, such as whether they can auto-attack, respond with counter hits, or follow along with your movements.

Depending on your difficulty level, you'll have few or no mulligans, so it's important to know what everyone does in order to avoid missteps. On top of that, you can use their abilities to your advantage. For example, the prison guards will attack you after a single move, but if you use a Swap card or something similar to put an enemy in their path, you can use that trait effectively against your foes.

After hours of play, you'll start to memorize who does what, which will prove to be beneficial when you tackle daily challenge runs.

2. Prioritize movements and takedowns

Don't get me wrong, the idea of hitting a foe with a flashy martial arts kick is cool. That's a big part of this game's charm. Just make sure you don't get carelessly hit, because remember, your health will carry over throughout your entire run. That's why you'll want to have plenty of movement and takedown cards.

Movement cards can take various forms. The standard movement cards will allow you to move tiles and away from danger. Make sure to end your turn with these whenever possible in order to keep yourself away from enemy range. This can lead to prolonged fights, but don't be afraid to drag out encounters, because that's better than the alternative. If you absolutely can't get away, the best alternative is to use cards that boost Block or offer Dodge. Beware of Block, though, because some enemies will have attacks that ignore the Block stat. Again, make sure you know who you're up against.

One of the most effective tactics in this game is the takedown. Cards like Throw or Tackle will knock enemies down and completely incapacitate them for their turn. Oftentimes, these cards can also inflict damage, which means they'll eventually lead to your opponent's defeat. Be careful, though, because some opponents will be too heavy to throw, so you'll want to stay out of their way completely.

3. Use Push effects to your advantage

If you don't have a movement effect at your disposal, your other main battle tactic will involve attack cards with Push effects. Most enemies will only attack one tile in front of them and that will often be wherever you're standing. A card with a Push effect will move them out of your path, which should spare you a hit.

More importantly, Push effects can be a key to victory. One major element of Fights in Tight Spaces is that if an enemy is close enough to an out-of-bounds area, whether it be a window or the edge of a staircase, they can be pushed out to an instant death. The only way to send them out is with an attack card with a Push effect, so make sure you have a card like Front Kick, Jump Kick, or the simply-named Push in your deck, because they could lead to a much easier win.

4. Avoid corners whenever possible

No matter how strong a secret agent you are, things go downhill fast if you put yourself in a corner, because enemies will pounce on your position quickly. If you're stuck in a corner with three foes surrounding you, you're going to get hit. You can only incapacitate so many of those adversaries before you run out of moves. There's virtually no scenario where you can take them all out.

On top of that, if you're totally cornered, most of your movement cards become useless. A vast majority of movement cards will not allow you to move through crowds. Those cards won't work at all when you're cornered. That means you'll have to fight your way out and it's almost impossible to take out three enemies at once.

Don't stick yourself in a corner. You're going to have a bad time. If you absolutely have to take a hit in order to avoid a corner, just take it. Gird yourself up with Block if you can, but don't back yourself into that corner.

5. Play around with new cards and find your favorites

This one feels fairly obvious, but it can be tempting to rely on the game's pre-built decks, especially as you unlock them over time. However, you'll also unlock your own standalone cards and those are almost always worth a shot.

Once you feel more confident in your skills, click on the Deck Draft button above the difficulty levels. This will allow you to draft your own deck out of your collection. Often times, you'll find a card you might not have used before. Give that a shot, because you never know. You might find a new favorite that can lead you to victory.


Those are the best tips for getting started in Fights in Tight Spaces. If you want to read more about this game, check out our review. For the latest news and guides, keep it here on Shacknews.