Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang is the hero of new fan-made, politically-themed 2D fighting game that chronicles Yang’s ongoing campaign for the top spot in the White House. The game’s title is Yang 2020: Path to Presidency, and from the trailer the game looks to be a pretty sizable project and way more than some goofy one-off cameos from political figures. The game was created by independent developer Sam Vallely and is an unofficial and not endorsed by representation of the candidates and public figures it portrays.
According to Yang 2020: Path to Presidency‘s official Steam description, the game features complete story mode that details all the major events in Yang’s political journey so far, with light-hearted references to automated trucks, being cold-shouldered by news outlets, and philosophizing (and sparring) with Joe Rogan. It also shows what looks like the final boss, the current President of the United States Donald Trump, squaring up against Yang and his “Freedom Dividend” Shinku Hadoken-esque attack in the Oval Office.
Playing as Andrew Yang in Path to Presidency‘s Story Mode unlocks stages and the full roster of characters, including playable versions of Yang’s political rivals Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and a fighter modeled after Donald Trump himself. These characters are all selectable in Versus Mode (available as local multiplayer or versus the CPU), and each will have access to “quirky special moves.”
Of course, Yang 2020: Path to Presidency isn’t an esports-ready competitive fighter, but it does feel fitting to make game in the 2D fighter genre to help promote Yang’s political ambitions. Yang has a lot of affection for the genre, and has tweeted before about growing up playing Street Fighter II. The candidate is also fluent when talking about games and the cultural issues surrounding them, earning him growing support among younger voters. From the trailer, it looks like Yang 2020: Path to Presidency will have special stage interactions, meter management, a fairly diverse move set across characters that pays homage to the 2D classics, and a counter system for big-brain reads.
Yang 2020: Path to Presidency, the Yang Gang friendly 2D fighter, will be available on Steam on December 30, 2019.