Bruisers 2D Boxing

Thanks to everyone who’s jumped into Bruisers over the last day and a half! We’re excited to roll out our first hotfix, shaped by your feedback, our own notes and everything we’ve spotted since launch.

This update rebalances the difficulty levels, speeds up career progression and tightens up Pugilist mode. You’ll also find a new performance option for lower-end machines, fresh announcer lines and a batch of fixes.

Difficulty

• Easy is now more casual and forgiving: CPU fighters slip less, react more slowly, and your stamina drains less.

• Medium now sits between the new Easy and Hard.

Career Mode

• Healing costs now scale with your level: cheaper early on, pricier as your career grows.

• Training pays off faster: auto training is now closer to that of the mini-game training, and normal training gives the opportunity for even bigger gains.

• Early amateur opponents are now a fairer match for a new fighter’s starting skills.

• Aging now a bit later, so late-career fighters stay challenged.

• Mob emails:

• If you delete the dark web code before using it, it’s sent again.

• Once you’ve entered it, it won’t come back.

• Once you’re cut off from the black market, the mob emails stop.

Fights

• Headbutts now count across the whole fight instead of per round, so disqualifications can come sooner, for you and for CPU fighters.

• Broken hands are now four times less likely.

Pugilist Mode

• CPU fighters can no longer use moves players can’t: Bully no longer sidesteps, and Balanced no longer probes.

• Balance changes across all Pugilist fighters, including the heavier builds.

Fixes

• The draw result text no longer appears off center after fights

• The commentator no longer says both fighters were knocked down when only one fighter goes down twice.

• Quick Play: when player 2 backs out, player 1 gets control back.

• Meals: cancelling a dish no longer leaves the price as if two dishes were picked. The price is now worked out when you buy the full meal.

• Fishing: the tutorial now correctly says to move left or right.

• Mac: Xbox controllers connected over Bluetooth now have the correct button layout.

Audio

• New announcer lines between rounds.

Performance

• New performance option to help the game run faster on lower-end machines. Automatically detects but is switchable in the display settings as well.

Thanks for all the feedback, and keep it coming! It directly shapes the future of the game.

The bell has rung: Bruisers 2D Boxing is now in Early Access!

Bruisers 2D Boxing is officially available to play in Early Access. As we’ve said in the past, we are huge boxing and boxing video game fans, and are genuinely excited to share this game with the community. 

We’ve been working relentlessly over the last few months to get Bruisers to a state we are proud to stand behind. We know the wait was longer than planned, but we think once you play — you’ll see where that time went.

Here are the full patch notes covering everything that’s changed since our Demo back in June.

CAREER MODE

• Guided trainer onboarding that teaches you the Career Hub step by step, plus in-ring tutorials for each fighter style

• New create-a-fighter flow with presets and a confirmation screen

• Rebuilt ranking ladder: a 60-deep Contenders list, scaling purses, retiring fighters, belt tracking, title defenses and win-loss records

• Working rival system

• New weight system. Coming in heavy or light on purpose is now a strategy with its own pros and cons, and CPU fighters manage their own weight

• Injuries now carry over between fights, and you heal them from the health screen

• Auto-training, skill point and XP feedback, and a cleaner shop and inventory

• Deeper email system with connected story points, including mob ties, contraband, scouting reports, drug tests and betting storylines

• Full save system overhaul with automatic backup and restore

COMBAT AND FIGHT RULES

• New cut, swelling and blood system, including wiping blood off your screen and fighting through on-screen swelling

• Real-time injury system for hands, arms, jaw, head and body, shown on the HUD

• Headbutts and disqualifications

• Reworked referee, doctor and stoppage logic

• Reworked in-fight damage system

• Full stamina and heart rate rebalance, including late-round fatigue

• All-new judging: different judge types picked at random, with predicted scorecards between rounds

• Smarter CPU movement and AI

• All-new top-tier Pugilist difficulty. It thinks differently and fights like a top-ranked contender on the ladder

• Many smaller combat tweaks and fixes

MINI-GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

• All-new corner mini-game between rounds in Pro fights

• Every training and job mini-game rebuilt, with a new look and high-score screens

• Fishing game overhaul

• Casino polish with new backgrounds and betting upgrades

• Expanded Quick Play: items, round time options, and Hall of Fame and Custom character brackets

UI AND HUD

• Full UI overhaul across the game: every menu and career screen, the PC desktop, email, shops, fridge, Hall of Fame and boxing licenses

• New in-fight HUD with reactive fighter portraits and a round card, plus a HUD on/off toggle

• New feedback popups for money, food, items, belts and injuries

• New logo and main menu artwork

CONTROLS AND INPUT

• Dynamic controller icons and diagrams for PS4, PS5, Xbox and Switch Pro controllers

• Full keyboard support and custom control mapping

AUDIO

• Large batches of new commentary, referee and trainer lines, with a unique voice for each corner

• Full audio balancing pass

LANGUAGES

• Full localization in Spanish, Italian, German, French and Portuguese, with an in-game language selector

DISPLAY AND PLATFORMS

• Now available on Mac

• Fullscreen, windowed and borderless modes. The game remembers your last choice

STABILITY AND POLISH

• Hundreds of bug fixes across crashes, tutorials, saves and UI, driven by countless rounds of internal playtesting and beta tester feedback

This is only the beginning. Through Early Access, we will follow the community’s feedback, which will directly shape the future of the game. Don’t be scared, tell us what you think in the Discussions.

Thanks again, and we’ll see you all in the virtual-ass-ring.

Jevon & Nick