Hamster has done a good job of providing a variety of genres with its ACA Neo Geo series, but SNK's machine had a lot of one-on-one brawlers and consequently Switch owners are not exactly short of options when browsing the eShop. Here's another one, this time from the Fighter's History series. Interestingly, SNES owners will soon have a chance to replay the third game and a port of the first on an upcoming compilation cart, but for now Switch fans can play the second entry (the only one on Neo Geo Hardware), Karnov's Revenge (AKA: Fighter's History Dynamite).
The game gives you a choice of thirteen fighters and features the usual best-of-three rounds mechanic as you work through the opposition en route to the ending. There's a "weak point" system, but otherwise nothing to make it stand out from other fighters of the time, often coming across as "like Street Fighter II, but not as good". Indeed, back in the day Capcom found the first Fighter's History a bit too similar and took developer Data East to court (unsuccessfully, it should be noted).
There are similarities here too, with the announcer, HUD elements and other screens having a similar style to the Capcom game. Actually playing the Data East's effort also results in a little déjà vu, as while there's no out-and-out clones, moves much like Sonic Booms, Flash-kicks and Hundred Hand Slaps feature throughout, with the titular Karnov calling out "fire" with his fire breath attack. Of course, a number of games from this period feature similar special moves (and this one does at least have some unique attacks) but even a few of the regular, non-special moves seem to have been blatantly copied from Street Fighter, including some Zangief-style grapples and a Blanka-like slide. There are less options available however, as there are only two strengths of punch/kick rather than three.
Despite these similarities, the brawling is not as fluid, moves don't flow together well and fights become a series of odd taps here and there, although the weak point system adds a little bit of strategy. Each character has a spot where they're especially vulnerable to attacks and should hits be repeatedly landed the character gets stunned, leaving them open to further attack. Weak points are certain items of clothing (such as a headband) which flash the more they are hit, but some are easier to get than others; they are often struck without really trying.
Other games may provide better fighting, but the rounds are not devoid of entertainment and you can still have fun from turning a bout around with a well-timed special move. There's some replayability in trying to clear the game with each character to get the different endings and should you get really good then there's a bonus fight against an Ox for you. The usual adjustable difficulty (8 settings) is present in the options menu if you'd like a tougher/easier path through the game, and a second player can join in at any time to challenge you to a fight.
The usual ACA Hi Score and Caravan modes are here giving you one credit/five minutes to rack up as many points as possible to try and move up the online leaderboards. Like most fighters these modes aren't as appealing as in other genres (like shmups), but do provide you with some alternative ways to play.
Conclusion
Karnov's Revenge can provide some entertainment, but attacks don't flow together with ease, sometimes making button mashing more effective (and quicker) than a well-timed series of planned moves. The weak point system can add a bit of strategy as you target certain spots on an opponent, but with some characters more susceptible to attacks than others it's not a system that works that well or is particularly balanced. Ultimately, more accomplished fighters are available on the Neo Geo (any entry from Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown or King of Fighters series will do), and a number of these can be downloaded on Switch. Pick one of those over this rather limp and uninspired title.
Comments 12
Another clones....
Keep ‘em coming
Was an interesting game but a game that should had stay on the Super NES. Releasing this on NeoGeo means no one got the chance to play it and since no one did not, nobody care of its existence since the first and third game wasn't as popular.
Played a ton in the arcades and liked it a lot. I'm kinda curious to how I'd feel playing it these days...
Still not curious enough to buy it :/
Yawn...
This game is one of the favorites of the poverty gaming scene and deserves more attention. I like to think of it as Street Fighter II Champion Edition from another dimension. Here's English commentary of a tournament from the Mikado earlier this year so you can see how deep it gets. https://youtu.be/GHjG8kSBZOQ?t=5m27s
@Exy I knew there are lots of Japanese channels that do commentary on obscure arcade games very regularly, but I've never found an English speaker do any, but man, I've watched like 5 minutes so far, and this guy's commentary has already made me fall in love. Thanks for this!
Also, in regards to this review, I actually agree with this one pretty much, a rarity lately on this site, though I'd consider bumping this one up to 5.5/10 if I'm feeling generous.
Ouch. I get the 5/10 score. You feel like there is a fight to pull off some of the moves but I must confess I like this game! It's far from perfect, but some of the combos are really satisfying to pull off.
@EmmatheBest LordBBH streams random MAME games, as in ones he isn't allowed to choose, including the most obscure games from around the world, every Monday at 9 PM EST. He's extremely knowledgeable about arcade games in general and the histories of a lot of games that many people aren't aware of. https://www.twitch.tv/lordbbh
Definitely check out the video @Exy linked to. To see a game's full potential, it's good to watch the highest level of play that you can. That's where this game comes alive!
Fighter's History Dynamite, I feel, is somewhat of a gem. It totally deserves it's middle-of-the-road scores, considering that other fighting games that came out at the time were coming out more polished and refined. But what it has going for it, high framerate with no slowdown, the strategy formed around its dizzy mechanic, a forgiving blocking system (you don't have to guess high/low beyond the first block in the string, just hold back), and fast, engaging, and rewarding gameplay once you start picking up on all the game's and character's nuances. I guess that's what keeps me coming back, and getting a little better each time. Once you get past some hurdles, whether it's the art direction, the initial learning curve, the overbearing 'Street Fighter clone' stigma, you may find a rough gem of a game. It may never be a shiny, faceted gem, but it can still glimmer if you look at it from a certain angle.
@GrailUK There are some really weird input motions in this game, for sure. Like Zazie's overhead fire kick where it's up, down + kick (which essentially needs to buffer from another attack) and Marstorious' power slam which is forward, up-forward, up, up-back, back + punch. Who at Data East thought this was a good idea?!
@Exy
"poverty"gaming? what is that about? is it just vintage games?
@masterLEON Nice post and agree totally
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