Breakers Revenge has hit iiRcade! Sure, the iiRcade has plenty of fighting games on it, but Breakers Revenge is a massively underappreciated fighting game that rivals even the best fighting games from Capcom or SNK. Breakers Revenge is an enhanced version of the original “Breakers” game that was released on the NEO-GEO MVS and AES in 1996. The Revenge version adds the final boss of the original as a playable character and one brand new character. Several of the fighters are also reworked to address some balancing issues present in the first game. Think back to what the Champion Edition and Turbo editions did to enhance the original Street Fighter 2, and you’ll have a better idea of why Breakers Revenge is the best version that should hit iiRcade over the original.
If you’ve never played a fighting game before, the concept is simple: Two people enter an arena with the intent of being the only one to walk out. In Breakers Revenge, this concept is delivered with the choice of 10 fighters, each with their distinct fighting style. Punches, back fists, uppercuts, lighting kicks, fireballs, and enhanced super moves are at your disposal on your way up to the top. Like most fighting games, many of the characters and movements are inspired by Capcom’s Street Fighter 2. Still, Breakers Revenge delivery of speed and challenge keep it distinct enough from Capcom fighters. My favorite character to play is Tia Langray, who fights like a mix of Ryu and Chun-Li. She has plenty of speed to keep her opponents guessing her next move, but she also has a projectile attack that keeps the pressure off her if needed.
Why should iiRcade fans check out Breakers Revenge over other fighting games on the platform like Rage of the Dragons? The answer is approachability. Where Rage of the Dragons will quickly beat you up and steal your lunch money in a few seconds, Breakers Revenge allows you to get a feel for your fighter. Breakers Revenge will eventually get tough but slowly scales up to that more complicated challenge, fighter by fighter. Breakers Revenge has given me lots of close matches, even as a seasoned fighting game fan, and that’s just against the CPU. Two-player matches are even more fast and furious.
If other fighting games on iiRcade haven’t met that critical balance of speed and challenge for you, I implore you to check out Breakers Revenge. Hopefully, this is a sign of more fighting games of this caliber to appear on the arcade console.
