SNK is a legendary game publisher, having brought us some of the best arcade games ever made. Now they are celebrating their 40th anniversary but releasing a collection of their classic arcade and console games for the Nintendo Switch. The game will come with an initial lineup of 13 games, with 11 more coming as free DLC. These games include historic titles as well as lesser known games, all in an amazing package. These include the arcade and console versions as I mentioned before, as well as a re-release at long last, for the NES gem Crystalis.
While playing the games, I had a blast rediscovering the classics, while also getting to enjoy some for the first time. Many of these games previously had issues when ported to consoles, such as Ikari Warriors, but that has now been fixed. These games have been reworked into twin-stick shooters for this collections and the result is a perfect conversion. Additionally, an update from the developers will be adding “Single Stick” mode to all twin-stick games, allowing one stick for both movement and aiming. This will enable multiplayer for these games that will only use single joycons, allowing more portable multiplayer options. There will also be an auto fire option, that will remove the need to hold down a button. I welcome these changes, as they will make the games much more enjoyable.
I love the rewind feature in the games, as it allows me to retrace my steps instantly and avoid the mistakes I had made. This was helpful in P.O.W. and Ikari Warriors , and I ended up getting more enjoyment out of the games that way. There was a problem with it not working right all the time, especially in Street Smart, but I have been informed that this will be fixed with a day 1 patch.
Of the games I played that were currently available, I really enjoyed Street Smart and P.O.W., as they were games I was unfamiliar with before ( specifically the arcade version of P.O.W.). Street Smart feels like Street Fighter 1 but better. The controls actually works and the music is not annoying, but its clear SNK has come a long way since then with their fighting games.
P.O.W. on the NES felt like an unofficial Rambo game, but the arcade version is the Chuck Norris game I always wanted. It is a far better experience than the NES version, and much more fulfilling. I compare this to Double Dragon 1’s NES port, except that port wasn’t missing some basic control options. This is a fun brawler, and I enjoyed every moment I spent with it.
Crystalis is the star of the show for many, and it is easy to see why. For an early console RPG, it aged surprisingly well and is still fun today unlike many of its contemporaries. It has excellent controls, a very good narrative, and best of all, never stops being fun. This is what I like in retro RPGs!
I will also add that one of the upcoming free DLC games is Fantasy. Fantasy is an early SNK arcade game and one of my favourites. It was ahead of its time, and showed the majesty that the company would come into. There is quite the variety of games to choose from here, even though I only spoke of the ones that stood out the absolute most to me,, and you will not get bored of any of them. I commend Digital Eclipse on a job well done creating this collection, and urge everyone to try it when it is available.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided