Fighting games on the early handheld systems is not an easy accomplishment. We are not here to discuss the failure of Mortal Kombat for the Game Boy Advance, but that was just one example. To find a game that allows quick and easy movement and decent visualizations was not an easy thing to see back in the 90’s and 2000’s. With the battle of systems toward the end of the 90s with the Game Boy series, Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx and even the Sega Nomad, the question of if a game could be successful in the fighting style.
Enter the Neo Geo Pocket. This system, for a short while was one of the highest sought out handhelds and so were the games. Not only were the sport games actually enjoyable to play in your hand, but so were the fighting games. One particular title was SNK Gals’ Fighters.
Twenty years later, yes, it’s actually been that long, this title has landed on the Nintendo Switch and once again it doesn’t disappoint. Unlike several of the fighting games that are out there now, SNK Gals’ does not have a steep learning curve with the moves. The majority of the control moves are the same, they just serve a different purpose.
The majority of the features that were featured in the original cart were ported over to the Switch with ease. From the original eight fighters and the additional two fighters and Miss X, the power-ups that you can collect to improve your characters attacks, and the story mode to follow for each character, Gals’ turns out to be a great addition to the Switch library.
Graphically, Gals’ mimics a lot of the other “retro” reboots that are out there brought to the Switch by having the ability to have your screen look like a classic Neo Geo Pocket system. But at the same time, you are able to zoom in on the action to avoid looking at the buttons on the screen. But you can also adjust so just the playing field is there. As for the graphics themselves, compared to an early 8 bit fighter, this is a really good game.
As much as this is a great little quick fighter, that is exactly what it is, a quick fighter. I found myself finishing the game in about 10 minutes tops. But that is ok, because it gives you a chance to play as some of the other characters. To what I thought would decrease the replay factor, it really didn’t.
If you are a hardcore fighter, playing games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat 11, and prefer that type of fighting, you may consider this game to be child’s play. But if you are a new to fighting, this is a perfect start to your collection. Also, the price for the game is also one that can’t be beat.
Brad has been a die hard arcade fan ever since he can remember. From the first time he played Space Invaders, to the first time he played Pacman, Brad has always had a love for video games. Hanging out at either the Great American Fun Factory in the mall, or spending the night in front of the glowing games at the local roller rink, he was always thinking about when he can spend the next quarter. He also worked at Babbages, which is now GameStop, for over six years. Mostly because they had a really sweet checkout policy on new products and great discounts. But since he had the Atari 2600, he has never looked back and owned some of the greatest home machines, NES, SNES, GENESIS, Turbo Graphix 16, GameBoy, Game Gear, Lynx, Playsation 1,2,3,4 and Vita, XBOX, Gamecube, and N64...just to name a few. Brad is also a reviewer for Mobile Beat Magazine as well as a freelance videographer, part time disc jockey, performing artist and photographer. But has a true love is for video games and Star Wars, as he is a member of the 501st Central Garrison. His ultimate dream is to own a fully working pinball machine and arcade machine. Difficult to say which one, but a Star Wars one would be nice start.
