SNK Gals' Fighters review by substance J

Fighters are definitely a staple of NGPC gaming, and you probably own more than a few of them by now. However, Gals Fighters is a decidedly different sort of fighting experience. As the name implies, it's a 100% Fem-fighting spin off, gathering female characters from a variety of SNK's big titles. If you're in search of serious and challenging gameplay, you'd best keep looking. Though if you're interested in super cute characters, goofy specials and easy combos, Gals Fighters is the ticket.

Graphics
As far as character sprites go, Gals Fighters is certainly in the upper echelon of NGPC fighting games. The animations are smooth and crisp, and the art style gives them a very unique look (compared to anything else on NGPC). All the returning characters have been totally overhauled, and are more SD than ever, as you'll quickly notice when Leona throws a grenade twice the size of her own body, or Mai's fan fills the entire screen during a Mighty Bop. Athena will often morph into different outfits during the course of an attack, like a Bunny Girl, her singing outfit (complete with mic), or even her original NES-era design. There are other equally cute animations, such as Yuri calling out Mr. Karate for a fireball attack (followed by him yelling at her), or Yuki signaling a stampede of Kyo's to run down her opponent (!!). Aside from art and character design changes, there are also a few new touches like pseudo-transparency effects for some attacks.

After Match of the Millennium, I was curious to see if Gals Fighters would use any animated background elements, and indeed it does. Unfortunately though, animation fails to make these flat and dull backgrounds any more interesting. Most of the location choices seem arbitrary, and don't feel as if they really belong in the game. Some of which are a little ugly to begin with (the Arc de Triumph stage, for example). Not all is bad, though. Each stage has 2 randomly selected color palettes (day/night) to add some variety. I really like the Japanese bath stage, which is filled with relaxing Samurai Shodown characters (is that Haomaru I see?). I wish there were more humorous stages like this; it would be very neat if more background cameos were included.

I always enjoy seeing what new character portraits and win screens have been added, and Gals Fighters didn't disappoint. All of the static character art is nicely drawn, and very colorful. The ending scenes can be pretty funny at times...like Yashiro questioning Shermie as to why she wished for a new Hamster cage rather than brining back Orochi. Good stuff...though I wish the endings could have been more than one screen long.

Sound
When I first started playing, I was a little surprised to see (hear, rather) that the music in Gals Fighters is totally original. From the intro to the credits, you won't find any reused tunes. This is refreshing, though a little unfortunate if you're Psycho Soldier theme junkie. The sound effects are expectedly unexciting, but they get the job done as usual.

Gameplay
Out of all the titles on NGPC, Gals Fighters' gameplay is most similar to Match of the Millennium, but much faster in every aspect. Large combos can be strung together easily, turning most fights into a contest of button mashing as opposed to strategically planned attack and defense. The directional pad and button commands are also more forgiving now (I always find MotM's control to be too stiff), which is a welcome change. Some people look down on this sort of gameplay (oddly, they are the ones who play Marvel vs. Capcom 2..), but this certainly isn't a bad thing, in my opinion. It makes the game very easy to jump into, and it fits perfectly with the lighthearted atmosphere of the game.

Of course, the concept of large combo attacks usually works better in theory than in practice. At any reasonable setting, the CPU AI can be very troublesome, often playing turtle in the corner while you pound away. Then once their health has reached dangerous levels, they'll launch a cheap comeback attack, which will generally take you down to the last of your energy bar. The AI is not difficult to overcome, but I always find these sorts of 'rubber band' AI routines to be a little annoying.

As far as extras are concerned, Gals Fighters is definitely a student of the Fatal Fury: First Contact school of options. Well, that is a bit of an overstatement, but you won't find much above the standard gameplay and characters in Gals Fighters. Single player modes are limited to Q.O.F (Queen of Fighters, arcade mode) and Training. There are 3 hidden characters to be unlocked during play (Yuki, Whip, and Ior..uh, I mean, Miss X...), though I was able to find them all within about 3 hours of play. The last bonus to mention is the Item system, which works much like the Character Cards in Samurai Shodown! 2. After meeting certain conditions (beating certain characters, winning by decision, etc), you are awarded one Item. Items range from Earrings, to Explosives, even a Hamster. These offer various effects such as speed boosts (yikes, is that really necessary?), a full Gal Gauge at the start of Round 1, slower charging of opponent's Gal Gauge, and more. Collecting the items adds a bit of replay value and fun to the game, though to be honest, their effects during the match aren't very profound.

Overall
I wasn't expecting much out of Gals Fighters, but I've been pleasantly surprised by it. The gameplay is simple (and slightly flawed), though I find it rather addictive. It's cute, lighthearted, fun, and easy to sit down with for some instant gratification. There is a serious shortage of options here, though I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing (it is certainly a more solid game than Fatal Fury: First Contact). If you're looking for a fighter that offers something a little different, I would recommend Gals Fighters. Just don't expect a fighting game of epic proportions...a fun little diversion is more like it.