Instruction manual - STREETS OF NICE

THE MANAGER

1 PLAYERFREE

INSTRUCTION MANUALWEB BROWSER

WARNING

Read before using your fists

In some people, the sight of a PS5 thrown at full speed may cause a sudden urge to tidy shelves. If you notice any of the following symptoms, put the controller down and ask a sales assistant:

an urge to shout "THIS IS MY SHOP!";
hair turning gold;
counting the stock out loud;
distrust of anyone running with a box under their arm;
apologising to passers-by.

Play in a well-lit room, at a sensible distance from the screen, and take a 15 minute break every hour. The manager never takes a break. Do not copy him.

The manager, worn out on a stool, an ice pack on his head, a controller in his hand.

The story

Nice. A Saturday afternoon.

A big march crosses the city, peacefully. But on the avenue, a small crew of looters has other plans: empty the shops.

The shutters come down one by one. At MEGAZONE, the neighbourhood video game shop, a few customers are still inside. And the manager.

A brick goes through the window. The manager puts his controller down, gets up and plants himself in the doorway.

No armour, no sword, no powers. He has stock to protect, neighbours to help, and a PS5 within reach.

The manager

THE MANAGER

Manager of MEGAZONE, new and retro video games

BUILD: Large
HEALTH: 120 points, and a short temper
WEAPON: Whatever is lying around
LIKES: Retro consoles, polite customers, quiet
HATES: People touching the stock

Twenty years behind the counter. He knows every cartridge on the shelf and lets nobody leave without a receipt. A fictional archetype, not a real person.

"CHECKOUT'S THAT WAY!"

SUPER MANAGER!

GOLDEN MODE

After round four, a looter kicks him in the back. Bad idea. The manager gets up with golden hair, full health and endless rage. He only takes 60 % of the damage. The mode lasts until the boss shows up.

GOLDEN AURA: Burns looters who get too close.
PUNCH: Every hit sends a shockwave; the fourth one slams the ground.
HOLD PUNCH: A GOLD BALL that explodes (two on screen at most).
KICK: GOLD RUSH: a dash that hits everything in line.
DODGE: A blink that pushes everyone back.
SPECIAL: A golden beam down the avenue.

The looters

Always in a hurry, never a receipt. They rush the door and the window to steal the stock. Three attack at a time, the others steal.

Twelve nicknames, one plan: SNEAKY PETE, SHELF SWEEPER, BACKPACK, SMARTY PANTS, TAKEAWAY, BIG APPETITE, SCOOTER GUY, SPEEDY, PHONE GUY, NO SHAME, THE PILFERER, STICKY FINGERS.

THE RUNNER: From round 2. Flimsier, but steals in a blink.
THE SHIELD: From round 2. His box stops punches from the front: a KICK, a grab or a throw breaks it.
THE COWARD: Dazed or last one standing, he pulls out a little white flag and backs off with a smart remark. Let him go: he gives the stock back, MERCIFUL! (+500). Hit him: a K.O., nothing more.

THE BRAWLER · HEAVY HITTER The heavies. 70 health, hit hard, break out of a grab from the front. Only one attacks at a time. From round 3.

THE COWARD Strikes once, in the back, during a cutscene. You cannot catch him. He knows it.

The passers-by

The avenue is not empty. Passers-by do their shopping, marchers walk by with their signs, peacefully. You do not hit them.

Marchers cross the fight. Let them through.

NOT THE BYSTANDERS!: A direct hit on a passer-by costs 500 points, then 1,000, then 1,500, and breaks your combo. The manager apologises.
GOOD NEWS: Specials, summons and thrown items never touch them.

The neighbours have windows too. A looter banging on one breaks it in two and a half seconds: stop him in time for a SAVED! (+500 and some rage). Bring them back a stolen item: RETURNED! (+300).

THE BATTERING RAM

FINAL BOSS

He knocks next door, "KNOCK KNOCK!", then rips the shop's iron shutter off and uses it as a shield and a club. He brings four heavies.

HEALTH: 900 points
WORTH: 20,000 points
LOOK: Black full-face helmet, black tracksuit, iron shutter

THE PUNCH: Slow, but long reach.
"I'M BREAKING THE DOOR!": A charge. If it ends in a wall: DAZED! for two and a half seconds.
"BRACE YOURSELF!": He hits the ground: back off.
"EXPRESS DELIVERY!": Below a third of his health, he throws looters at you.
THE CALL: Twice in the fight he calls for backup. A KICK, a COUNTER or an item on him right then: CALL DROPPED!
THE GUARD: Your hits drain his guard bar. Empty: BROKEN! He stands still and takes 50 % more damage.

A summon takes 12 % of his health at most and cannot finish him. The last hit is yours.

Keyboard and mouse

Every key can be changed in the CONTROLS menu.

MOVE: W A S D · ← ↑ ↓ →
PUNCH: J · X
KICK: K · C
GRAB / THROW: L · E · V
DODGE: SPACE · SHIFT
SPECIAL MOVE: F · I
RAGE: R · Q
PAUSE: ESC · P

Two keys for every action: use the one under your fingers. On an AZERTY keyboard the game shows Z Q S D.

With a mouse

CLICK: PUNCH
RIGHT CLICK: KICK
MIDDLE CLICK: GRAB
SHIFT + CLICK, SIDE BUTTONS: DODGE

Gamepad

Plug in a gamepad and press a button. The game shows your pad's own symbols.

UP / DOWN / LEFT / RIGHT: D-pad or left stick
PUNCH: LEFT · SQUARE · X
KICK: UP · TRIANGLE · Y
GRAB / THROW: RIGHT · CIRCLE · B
DODGE: DOWN · CROSS · A
SPECIAL MOVE: R1 · RB
RAGE: L1 · LB, or both triggers together
PAUSE: START · OPTIONS · MENU

Buttons are named by where they sit: depending on your pad, the left one is SQUARE, X or Y.

Touch screen

On phones and tablets, it all happens under your thumbs.

PUNCHKICKGRABDODGESUPERRAGE

THE STICK: Put your left thumb anywhere in the lower left: the stick centres under it.
PUNCH: The big button in the corner. KICK and DODGE sit right next to it.
GRAB: Shows up when an item or a looter is in reach, or when you hold something.
SUPER: Shows up when a special is ready. It flashes when a summon is armed.
RAGE: Shows up when the bar is full. AUTO RAGE is on by default.

Turn your phone sideways to see more of the street. Pause and full screen are at the top right.

Moves

The basics. The rest is improvisation.

PUNCH × 4: Four hits in a row. The fourth one knocks them down.
KICK: Wide and strong, but slow: miss it and you are open.
GRAB (next to a looter): The hold. PUNCH: two knees, then a big one. GRAB, KICK or a direction: into the crowd he goes.
GRAB FROM BEHIND + A HIT: The suplex: everyone around falls over.
INTO THE WINDOW: Throw him into the MEGAZONE window: WINDOW SMASH! Instant K.O.
GRAB (next to an item): Pick it up. PUNCH or KICK: hit with it. GRAB: throw it.
DODGE: A side step, briefly untouchable.
DODGE AT THE LAST MOMENT: PARRY! Time slows down and rage goes up.
PUNCH RIGHT AFTER: COUNTER! The manager leaps in and floors up to three looters.
BEHIND!: A marker shows who is about to hit you in the back.

Rage and specials

The rage bar fills when you hit, when you get hit, on a PARRY and when you save a window.

RAGE READY!: Press RAGE: nine seconds of triple damage, more reach and more speed. Looters stop interrupting you.
AUTO RAGE: In OPTIONS: rage goes off by itself when the crowd closes in.

A special costs a third of the bar (nothing during rage). The game picks it for the moment:

THE PS5 BLOWAn item in hand: it hits everything around, and the item is done for.
NICE TORNADOFour looters or more all over you: twelve spins, then a blast.
TOTAL CLEARANCEOtherwise: a shockwave across the pavement.
AISLE OF SLAPS!As SUPER MANAGER: a golden beam down the avenue.

Items (1)

Anything lying around is a weapon. GRAB to pick it up, PUNCH or KICK to swing it, GRAB again to throw it.

PS5SWING ★★★★★THROW 45 · 4 hits
CONTROLLERSWING ★★★★★THROW 22 · 6 hits
BOX OF GAMESSWING ★★★★★THROW 18 · 2 hits
OFFICE CHAIRSWING ★★★★★THROW 40 · 5 hits
RETRO CONSOLESWING ★★★★★THROW 38 · 4 hits
ARCADE STICKSWING ★★★★★THROW 32 · 5 hits
FIGURINESWING ★★★★★THROW 30 · 3 hits
GAME CARTRIDGESWING ★★★★★THROW 18 · 6 hits
STACK OF CDSSWING ★★★★★THROW 22 · 3 hits
PLUSHIESWING ★★★★★THROW 12 · unbreakable
CRT TVSWING ★★★★★THROW 60 · 3 hits
COMPUTERSWING ★★★★★THROW 52 · 4 hits

Items (2)

Broke an item from the shop? Another one comes out of the door. Street furniture dents, then stays wrecked. The BALL bounces.

CARDBOARD STANDEESWING ★★★★★THROW 20 · 2 hits
BEAN BAGSWING ★★★★★THROW 24 · unbreakable
POSTER TUBESWING ★★★★★THROW 14 · 5 hits
FOOTBALLSWING ★★★★★THROW 26 · unbreakable
SCOOTERSWING ★★★★★THROW 55 · 6 hits
TRAFFIC CONESWING ★★★★★THROW 20 · 6 hits
CROWD BARRIERSWING ★★★★★THROW 44 · 6 hits
WHEELIE BINSWING ★★★★★THROW 38 · 5 hits
SIGN BOARDSWING ★★★★★THROW 30 · 4 hits
BARGAIN BINSWING ★★★★★THROW 34 · 4 hits
CAFÉ CHAIRSWING ★★★★★THROW 32 · 4 hits
CAFÉ TABLESWING ★★★★★THROW 40 · 5 hits

Summon cards

SUMMON CARD!

A card glowing on the street? That is a summon.

A card on the ground, and its pillar of light.

1: A card drops every round, five per game, the last one during the boss. A pillar of light marks it.
2: Walk over it: it goes into the SUMMON slot. One at a time: another card waits, dimmed, until you have used yours.
3: Press SPECIAL: the summon replaces the special. Time stops, the manager is safe.
4: The whole street gets it: looters floored, heavies nearly. The boss takes a bit.

Your first game shows you all four, in order. After that, surprise.

The summons

Four friends, one card each.

SOLIDARITY!The neighbours and shopkeepers of the avenue run in from both ends of the street, line up with the manager, and the street is clean in a flash.
FURY BEAM!KENJI, the hero of the FURY FIGHTERZ poster by the door, steps out of it as a blue ghost. Side by side, they fire one beam down the whole avenue. A bow, and he walks back into the poster.
FIREFIGHTERS!A fire engine pulls up and its water cannon sweeps the street. Water hurts nobody: the looters are just washed away, dripping, under a little rainbow.
LOVE STRIKE!The Waifu comes down from the sky on a beam of light, sends a heart, and pink lightning strikes every looter. The manager blushes.

How a game goes

A game lasts a few minutes. There is no continue.

THE OPENING: A brick through the window. The manager steps out.
ROUNDS 1 TO 4: More and more looters: 10, 16, 24, then 32.
THE KICK IN THE BACK: After round 4. "NANIII?!" Enter SUPER MANAGER.
BERSERK!!: The whole avenue against you. Hit everyone.
THE BOSS: THE BATTERING RAM. Win, and the ending plays.
GAME OVER: If the stock or your health hits zero: "THEY TOOK EVERYTHING..."

BONUS STAGE

Between rounds 2 and 3, a van pulls up outside the shop, full of stolen stock. 30 seconds to smash it: doors, windows, wheels, wreck.

EVERY FEW HITS: A stolen item comes back: stock and 200 points.
PERFECT: A wreck before time runs out: 5,000 points, plus 100 per second left.

Score and style

Every hit is worth more as the combo climbs. The combo ends a second and a half after your last hit, or when you get hit.

LOOTER K.O.: 100
HEAVY K.O.: 400
BOSS K.O.: 20,000
WINDOW SMASH!: 200
WINDOW SAVED: 500
ITEM RETURNED: 300
ITEM BROKEN: 150
A PASSER-BY: -500 and up

Style ranks

DDISMAL×1.2
CDECENT×1.4
BBRUTAL×1.6
ANASTY×1.8
SFIERCE×2
SSMEGA SALE×2.5
SSSSALE ON SALE!×3

Mix up your moves: the same one again is worth less. Three seconds without a hit and the meter drains; getting hit drops a rank. At the top, some looters run away.

The final grade

A loss is a D. A win is scored out of 100 points, shown line by line on the end screen: stock saved (32), life kept, 100 % with no hit taken (20), average style over the run (24), best combo (12, full at x150) and time (12, full under 2:00, none after 3:00). B from 44, A from 56, S from 65. Under the bar, a line says what the S still needs and where to take it.

Tips

Stock first. A looter running off with a box drops it when you hit him: carry it back to the door.
The CRT TV hits the hardest of all items. The SCOOTER is close behind.
Save the KICK for groups and heavies. Miss it and you are open.
PARRY, then PUNCH: the COUNTER deals with three looters at once.
A looter holding a box in front of him? A KICK or a grab, not punches.
Keep your summon card for a packed street or stock in danger.
Against THE BATTERING RAM, keep a wall behind you: his charge ends in it.
When he calls for backup, a KICK cuts the call.
On a phone, turn it sideways: you see them coming from further away.
Do not hit the passers-by. Really.

Prices

BARGAIN: More health, calmer looters. Score x0.5.
REGULAR PRICE: The game as it is, and the daily. Score x1.
FULL PRICE: Opened by a win. Harder. Score x1.5.

STAFF

CONCEPT: GWENDALL
GAME DESIGN: GWENDALL
ART DIRECTION: GWENDALL
PROGRAMMING: GWENDALL
MUSIC: GWENDALL
SOUND EFFECTS: GWENDALL
STAGING: GWENDALL
SPECIAL MOVES: GWENDALL
ONE-LINERS: GWENDALL
SIGNS: GWENDALL
TESTING: GWENDALL
STUNTS: GWENDALL
CLEANING UP: GWENDALL
SHOP WINDOW (AT HIS OWN EXPENSE): GWENDALL

MADE WITH three.js

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING

STREETS OF NICE is a work of fiction. The manager, the MEGAZONE shop and every character are made up.

Free, no ads, no account, nothing to buy, no fundraiser.

No looters were harmed in the making of this game. A few windows were.