SNK Fighting Games – Samurai Shodown, The Last Blade and More

SNK beyond KOF

In the 90s SNK was the only company that could match Capcom fighter for fighter, and King of Fighters was just one of its series. Its weapon-based fighters, in particular, built a fan base of their own – slower, heavier and more tense than anything else in the arcade. This hub collects them, together with ADK's World Heroes and SNK's handheld fighters.

Samurai Shodown II

Samurai Shodown II (1994) is often called the best game in the series. Set in 18th-century Japan, it pits swordsmen like Haohmaru, Ukyo and Genjuro and the Ainu priestess Nakoruru against each other. The rage gauge fills as you take damage, and a single heavy slash at full rage can decide a round. Learn your character's spacing, wait for a mistake and punish it – that is Samurai Shodown.

The Last Blade and The Last Blade 2

The Last Blade (1997) and The Last Blade 2 (1998) move the swordplay to the end of the Edo period, with some of the most beautiful sprite art SNK ever made. Before each match you choose Speed mode (chain combos) or Power mode (stronger hits and super cancels); the sequel adds an EX mode that mixes both. Both games feature a deflect system that rewards perfect timing.

World Heroes Perfect

World Heroes Perfect is the final game of ADK's Neo Geo series, in which historical figures – a ninja, Joan of Arc, Rasputin, a Viking and more – travel through time to fight. It is less serious than SNK's own games and a lot of fun.

The Neo Geo Pocket fighters

SNK squeezed its fighters into the Neo Geo Pocket Color with cute, super-deformed sprites and surprisingly deep systems. The best is SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, where Ryu fights Kyo; also try Fatal Fury: First Contact, The Last Blade: Beyond Destiny and the all-female SNK Gals' Fighters.