Dull and derirative brawler
It's one-on-one fighting game time again in this little known Oriental-style brawler that seeks to challenge the likes of the mighty Street Fighter 2 and King of Fighters but which sadly fails to live up to these high standards. While the game does have a few nice touches, the list of problems is somewhat longer and which thus makes this only worth playing for the truly dedicated and patient fighter fan. It takes a similar approach to pretty much every other fighter you've ever played, but bears the strongest resemblance to Sango Fighter, with its extensive cast of characters from the Han period in Chinese history. As usual, the only goal is to beat the living daylights out of your opponents in a series of one-on-one duels, with each character having their own particular fighting style and special moves, with some particularly outlandish and inventive ones on display here. Everything is played out against a series of colourful and personality-filled backdrops but while it sounds like this could be an interesting, if unoriginal, addition to the fighting genre, once you start playing, it soon becomes apparent that this is a bit of a dud. While the visuals are nice and chunky, with lovely big sprites that are full of character, they are unfortunately animated with all the skill that one would expect from a ten year old, and are almost entirely lacking in fluidity. Worse still, the controls are incredibly awkward and unresponsive, with the special moves being next to impossible to pull off. It's this which really kills the game so unless you have the patience of a saint, stick to the classics.
