Beginner’s guide

How to play Boyz n the Hood Squabble Up

Boyz n the Hood Squabble Up is a free 2D fighting game that runs in your browser. Pick a character from Boyz n the Hood (1991) or from its 1984 opening, when the boys were kids, then choose a sidekick and a stage from the film and win two rounds before your opponent does. You don’t need an account, it works with a keyboard, gamepad or touch screen, and you play directly in your browser. A download is not offered.

On this page: Game modes · 2v2 tag team · Rounds and meter · The pace · Attacking and defending · Combos · Signature moves · Supers, Ultras and finishers · Throwables · Sidekicks · Comebacks · Tips

Game modes

Arcade: Fight up a ladder of opponents from your fighter’s era. The CPU gets tougher as you climb, and the last fight is the boss: Officer Coffey in 1991, or Young Chris for the kids of 1984, whose ladder is shorter. Play it 1 vs 1 or as a 2 vs 2 tag team.
VS CPU: A single fight against the computer, 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2. You pick both sides and the stage. CPU difficulty is set in Settings.
Versus: Two players on one computer, sharing a keyboard or using two gamepads, 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2.
Online: Host a private room and share its four-letter code with a friend. There is no sign-in. The two browsers connect directly, which some networks block. If your opponent quits or drops mid-fight, you win by forfeit. Quick matchmaking with anyone searching at the same time is coming soon.
Training: Practice against a dummy with a full meter that refills. Use Try Ultra to watch your fighter’s Ultra, and Change Fighters to switch characters without losing your stage or training settings. A PACE setting in the pause menu lets you try the fight faster or slower.
Story: Once Upon a Time in South Central follows the neighborhood from 1984 to 1991, with a short story scene before and after every fight, and ends against Officer Coffey. Your progress saves after every win, and if you lose you can try that fight again.
CPU Showcase: Watch the computer fight itself, which is a good way to see each character’s moves.
Download: Install Boyz n the Hood Squabble Up on your phone, tablet or computer and play it like an app, even offline. It’s free and needs no sign-up.

2v2 tag team

Arcade, VS CPU and Versus can be played as a 2 vs 2 tag team on one device. Each side picks two fighters. Press the sidekick button in neutral to tag your partner in, and they run in from your side of the screen while the other fighter runs off. Every fighter has their own health bar. The fighter on the bench slowly recovers some of the damage they took, shown in dark red. When a fighter is knocked out, their partner comes in automatically, and the last team standing wins. Tag team is local only, so online matches are always 1 vs 1.

Rounds, health and meter

Each match is best of three rounds, and each round lasts 99 seconds. Both fighters start every round with 1,150 health. If time runs out, the fighter with more health left wins the round.

The meter under your health bar holds up to three bars. You start each round with at least one bar, and meter carried over from the last round stays. Meter fills twice as fast as in a classic fighting game: you earn it by attacking, blocking, taking damage and taunting. Spend it on Supers, Ultras and comeback moves.

The pace

Fights here are slower and more natural than in a classic arcade fighter. Fighters walk instead of jogging, jumps are lower, knockdowns last longer, and every attack has a real wind-up and recovery, so a whiffed heavy kick leaves you open. Read your opponent, block on time and punish their mistakes. Most rounds last about a minute.

Attacking and defending

Four attack buttons: light punch, heavy punch, light kick and heavy kick. Light attacks are fast. Heavy attacks are slower and hit harder.
Special: every fighter has a Special move named after a scene from the film, like Tre’s Rake the Yard or Ricky’s Stiff Arm.
Blocking: hold the block button, or hold away from your opponent while they attack. Blocking stops most damage.
Perfect block: press back or block just before a hit lands. A perfect block takes no chip damage, earns meter and lets you act sooner.
EX special: press Special and heavy punch together with half a bar of meter for a stronger version of your Special that shrugs off a hit as it starts and knocks the opponent down.
Dashing: double-tap forward to dash in. Double-tap back to backdash, which makes you briefly invulnerable.
Grab string: press toward your opponent and heavy punch up close to grab them and land a four-hit string that knocks them down. If you are grabbed, press heavy punch quickly to break free.
Quick rise: press any attack button as you hit the ground to get back up faster. It doesn’t work after a Super knocks you down.
Launcher: hold down and press heavy punch to pop your opponent into the air.

Combos

When an attack connects, you can cancel it straight into another move to build a combo. Each move can be used once per chain, so mix light and heavy attacks. Beginners can use the auto-combo: after a hit lands, keep tapping light punch and the chain climbs automatically from light punch to light kick, heavy punch, heavy kick and your Special. With a full bar, it finishes with Super 1.

For air combos, land a launcher and hold up to super jump after your opponent, then chain your jumping attacks. You can also super jump at any time by tapping down and then up. Long combos make the opponent bounce off the floor and walls, which can extend the damage.

Land two combos of four hits or more in a row and your fighter goes On Fire: for about ten seconds, every hit deals 10% more damage.

Signature moves

Every fighter has a signature move of their own: press toward your opponent and heavy kick. They are all different. Tre’s Hold Your Ground parries a punch and counters, Dooky’s Domino Sweep hits low, Brenda Baker’s Long Day builds meter, and Officer Coffey’s What Set You From pulls you in and drains your meter. Others are overheads, dashes, slows and wall-bouncing shoves. Each fighter’s signature is listed on the fighters page and in the in-game move list.

Supers, Ultras and finishers

Each fighter has two Supers, and each costs one bar of meter. Supers are multi-hit moves themed on the character, from Ricky’s Open Field Tackle to Doughboy’s Porch Crew, which brings Monster in off the porch.

The Ultra is each fighter’s cinematic finishing move. Press both Super buttons together (LT + RT on Xbox, L2 + R2 on PlayStation, T + Y on the keyboard). You start every match with two free Ultras. After you have used them, an Ultra costs a full three bars. A pulsing blue prompt beside your meter shows when an Ultra is ready.

When you win the match, your opponent gets back up dazed, and the screen calls for a FINISH 'EM finisher. Press both Super buttons together within about four seconds, and your fighter plays a short intro, then finishes them with their Ultra. It’s optional, and any hit also ends the match.

Throwables

Every fighter carries a throwable item, such as Tre’s tackle box, Doughboy’s dominoes or Officer Coffey’s handcuffs. Press the Special button to throw it. You get four throws per round, the counter under your meter shows how many are left, and it refills at the start of the next round. Fighters whose original Special is a close-range attack use it with down + Special.

Sidekicks

Before each fight you choose a sidekick, from Monster to Mrs. Harris. Press the sidekick button and they run in with their own attack, then need a short rest before you can call them again. Each sidekick plays differently. Chris rolls in low in his wheelchair, Officer Graham’s baton poke holds you in place, and one look from Mrs. Harris freezes you. See the full list on the fighters page.

Comeback tools

Crossover: While you are blocking, press the sidekick button with at least half a bar of meter. Your sidekick jumps in front of you, knocks the attacker back with an unblockable hit and gets you out of the pressure.
Combo breaker: If you block the third move of an opponent’s chain, the chain breaks and you earn meter.
INCREASE THE PEACE! break: Once per round, while you are being hit, press the sidekick button with a full bar to escape the combo and knock the attacker away.

Tips for new players

Start in Training to learn your fighter’s Special, Supers and Ultra with unlimited meter.
Use the light punch auto-combo until cancelling feels natural.
Heavy attacks take time to come out and to recover. Throw them when they will land, not at the air.
Save your two opening Ultras for when they will finish a round, or for when your opponent is stuck in a long combo.
Learn your fighter’s signature move. Parries and armored moves beat attackers who press buttons carelessly.
Throwables are limited to four per round, so use them to stop an opponent who keeps jumping or dashing in.
Taunting builds meter, but it leaves you open.
Rebind any key or controller button in Settings, or switch to the COMPACT keyboard layout. The in-game move list always shows your current buttons.

Ready? See the full controls, meet the whole roster, or start playing.