December 2023 update:
I still recommend this game, but I lament what it could have been.
Poor management. Wasted time. Squandered potential. In hindsight, they shouldn't have sold to Modus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aoe1pnxmtQ

If your main interest is a fighting game, this is one of the best fighting games out there. It still has great netcode, and there will be 11 characters when production stops. Everything else in my old review is still true. But they ran out of money because of poor sales (both of the base game and of the Season 1 Pass DLC), and Modus Games, parent company Maximum Games, parent company Zordix AB, decided to pull the plug.

That means only one chapter of story mode. The announcer doesn't announce Stronghoof, Nidra, or Baihe, and her announcement of Texas is cobbled together from existing lines. The first six characters don't interact with the DLC characters at all. This game has no subtitles. There are only 4 different pixel lobby maps, and none for Pom or Tianhuo. Other things are missing or absent.

My hope is that maybe some day, production of this game can resume, but if that video I linked above is any indication, Modus will sit on the IP indefinitely and not do anything with it. If we're lucky, a comic might get made to tell the full story that Lauren Faust wrote back in 2017-ish.

Anyway, if you love this game's characters and setting of Foenum, check out my fandub I'm trying to do: https://www.castingcall.club/projects/them-s-fightin-herds-story-mode-fandub

Original review:
This game has amazing dynamic music, fantastic character design, a really intriguing story/world/lore, and it's really fun to watch other people play.

Too bad I have no experience with this type of fighting game. But this game is still awesome.

2019 Update: I still love this game for its music, characters, and lore, but I also really like how approachable the tutorial is, and how it breaks down different gameplay inputs. Although admittedly, there are still some inputs I struggle with on a keyboard. Oh well.

The other thing I love is the Pixel Lobby(ies) and the Salt Mines 2.0. Even though I don't last that long, navigating the mines and picking away at salt ores/veins is tons of fun.

2020 Edit: Steam, being a herp-derp with its new UI, prompted me to write a review for this game, not knowing I'd already written one. Confused, I wrote this:

I thought I already reviewed this? No matter. It's a great game, even if fighting games aren't really your thing. (They weren't for me!) I still wouldn't be interested in most other fighting games, but this one appeals to me because the characters, backstory, and most of all the MUSIC are just fantastic! The Salt Mines are also fun to play through for an alternate gameplay experience.

May 2020 update: Story mode is great! There's tons and tons of neat stuff to explore and interact with. You can find side quests, collect secrets, talk to oodles of NPCs who have amusing dialogue, and more. Basically, you should go everywhere and interact with everyone and everything.

December 2023 update: I still recommend this game, but I lament what it could have been. Poor management. Wasted time. Squandered potential. In hindsight, they shouldn't have sold to Modus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aoe1pnxmtQ If your main interest is a fighting game, this is one of the best [i]fighting[/i] games out there. It still has great netcode, and there will be 11 characters when production stops. Everything else in my old review is still true. But they ran out of money because of poor sales (both of the base game and of the Season 1 Pass DLC), and Modus Games, parent company Maximum Games, parent company Zordix AB, decided to pull the plug. That means only one chapter of story mode. The announcer doesn't announce Stronghoof, Nidra, or Baihe, and her announcement of Texas is cobbled together from existing lines. The first six characters don't interact with the DLC characters at all. This game has no subtitles. There are only 4 different pixel lobby maps, and none for Pom or Tianhuo. Other things are missing or absent. My hope is that maybe some day, production of this game can resume, but if that video I linked above is any indication, Modus will sit on the IP indefinitely and not do anything with it. If we're lucky, a comic might get made to tell the full story that Lauren Faust wrote back in 2017-ish. Anyway, if you love this game's characters and setting of Foenum, check out my fandub I'm trying to do: https://www.castingcall.club/projects/them-s-fightin-herds-story-mode-fandub Original review: This game has amazing dynamic music, fantastic character design, a really intriguing story/world/lore, and it's really fun to watch other people play. Too bad I have no experience with this type of fighting game. But this game is still awesome. 2019 Update: I still love this game for its music, characters, and lore, but I also really like how approachable the tutorial is, and how it breaks down different gameplay inputs. Although admittedly, there are still some inputs I struggle with on a keyboard. Oh well. The other thing I love is the Pixel Lobby(ies) and the Salt Mines 2.0. Even though I don't last that long, navigating the mines and picking away at salt ores/veins is tons of fun. 2020 Edit: Steam, being a herp-derp with its new UI, prompted me to write a review for this game, not knowing I'd already written one. Confused, I wrote this: I thought I already reviewed this? No matter. It's a great game, even if fighting games aren't really your thing. (They weren't for me!) I still wouldn't be interested in most other fighting games, but this one appeals to me because the characters, backstory, and most of all the MUSIC are just fantastic! The Salt Mines are also fun to play through for an alternate gameplay experience. May 2020 update: Story mode is great! There's tons and tons of neat stuff to explore and interact with. You can find side quests, collect secrets, talk to oodles of NPCs who have amusing dialogue, and more. Basically, you should go everywhere and interact with everyone and everything.