10 Genius Ways Video Games Fought Pirates

3. What Is The Square Root Of A Fish? - Skullgirls

A lot of genre fans prefer 2D fighters over 3D ones due to the possibility of more complex mechanics and/or more distinctive and elaborate art styles and soundtracks. 2012’s Skullgirls is a great example of that, as it’s packed with expressive visuals, intoxicating music, peculiar characters, and dazzling levels.

It also has a nifty way of baffling thieves so much that they’ll unintentionally and indirectly reveal their misconduct online in the hopes of finding a solution. While they’ll no doubt get an answer to their quandary, they’ll suffer the embarrassment and mockery of the internet, too.

It’s quite an ingenious tactic. Once the perpetrator finishes the story mode, a prompt will appear asking, “What is the square root of a fish? Now I’m sad.”

Skullgirls' anti-piracy detection will result in the game displaying the message "What is the square root of a fish? Now I'm sad." after beating Story Mode.

It is supposed to confuse, given that it has worked in outing pirates before. pic.twitter.com/B6KhrRxK1r

— Fairly Frequent FG Facts ⚡️ (@fffightinfacts) October 31, 2021

Of course, the question makes no sense, and that’s the point since the gag is partially designed to lead the player to ask about it on social media and message boards. As famously exemplified by one user on Twitter/X, doing so exposes them as wrongdoers since – you know – they’d only receive the message in the first place if they didn’t obtain Skullgirls the proper way.

You have to love how the official Skullgirls account responded.