Fighting games have always been a major part of my gaming life. Whether we are talking about Street Fighter 2, Tekken 3, or even today’s offerings such as Injustice 2; I always have time for fighting games no matter how popular or how obscure. Today I want to talk about a fighting game that was part of what I like the call “The Street Fighter 2 Clone Era”. What is the Street Fighter Clone Era? Let me explain. After Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 had hit the arcades and gained popularity as one of the most popular arcade games of all times, other game developers wanted a piece of that action by creating what amounted to their own versions of the game. Atlus gave us Power Instinct, Konami gave us Martial Champion, and then there is Data East who gave us Fighter’s History which was so much like Street Fighter 2 that Capcom would sue Data East over it.

One developer known as ADK teamed up with another game developer known as SNK. Why did this partnership take place? Well SNK was changing the game in multiple ways that stem from the creation of their own arcade cabinets and console known as The Neo Geo. Their arcade cabinets allowed for multiple games to be loaded on one cabinet. This was a space saver for arcade owners, so they were all for it! The console? It was $649.99 at launch in 1991! As you can imagine, not many people had this system at all with that pricetag! The game cartridges themselves were between 100 and 200 dollars. While gamers loved the idea of being able to play arcade perfect games, no one was really taking the bait and purchasing one unless they were wealthy. Like most people, I had to play the Neo Geo games in the arcades. Now if there was one thing the Neo Geo had in their library, it was a lot of fighting games. One game in particular stood out as the Street Fighter clone that would be the most popular series from the folks at ADK. I am talking about World Heroes.

The Characters:

Hanzo:

A character from Japan whose move set and controls are very similar to Ryu from the Street Fighter series. He is based off a legendary 16^th century samurai of the same name.

Kotaro:

 If you are going to have a Ryu clone, that clone needs a Ken clone with the same move set as Hanzo, correct? Kotaro is that guy. He is also from Japan and rival to Hanzo.

Rasputin:

A character from Russia loosely based off of Grigori Rasputin. His fighting skillset gives him the ability to expand both his hands and feet during a fight.

Janne D’Arc:

Who doesn’t love a badass female warrior in a fighting game? She is fighting not only to win, but she also wants to find a husband. Her character is based off of Joan of Arc. She represents the Kingdom of France.

Jenghis Carn:

Obvious things are obvious, this character is based off of Mongol Empire founder Genghis Kahn. He uses his strength and raw power to beat his opponents senseless. He, of course, is from Mongolia.

Brocken:

A cyborg from Germany, Brocken is a combination of M. Bison and Dhalsim from the Street Fighter games. His outfit looks a lot like Bison’s, but he is able to extend his arms and legs like Dhalsim. He is also is based off of The Terminator as well as Rudolph from Jojo’s Bizarre Circus.

Kim Dragon:

Dependent on the region, he is either from China or Korea. He is a fighter who is clearly based off of legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. One move he has is what appears to be a special punch that looks very similar to E. Honda from Street Fighter’s thousand hand slap.

Muscle Power:

As a wrestling fan, I noticed right away that he was based off of Hulk Hogan. He is an American pro wrestler from the 21^st Century whose moves include the Atomic Leg Drop as well as Hogan’s famous move from New Japan Pro Wrestling, The Axe Bomber. He is World Heroes’ answer to Zangief from Street Fighter 2.

Geegus:

Created by a secret organization called D.A.M.D. Geegus serves are the final boss of the game. He has the ability to shape shift into any of the other characters on the game and do their moves.

The Gameplay & Controls:

Unlike Street Fighter 2, World Heroes does not have a 6 button set up. This is because the Neo Geo itself was only limited for 4 buttons. Instead it uses 3. One button to punch, one button to kick, and one button for throws. Of course, like Street Fighter 2, different button and controller direction combinations can be used to do your special moves your character uses. The lack of 6 buttons does not really affect the game much, and doesn’t take away from the game. The game also features not only your standard tournament mode, but it also features a Death Match Mode which gives us matches with exploding mines, burning ropes, spike walls, and even oiled floors causing the grounds you fight on to be slippery. My only complaint is that the game just seems too short. This is due to the fact that the game doesn’t have as many characters in it as most fighting games.

The Difficulty:

Not difficult at all! Just like with most beat em ups, you just mash buttons and kill bad guys until you reach the boss at the end. You can probably finish the game within 30 minutes.

The Verdict:

If you are a fan of fighting games, then you have to be sure to add this game to your library. The game itself was popular enough to spawn sequels, and this game was also ported to systems such as the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. If you want this game, it is pretty easy to get. Do you have a Playstation 4? If so, you are in luck. I was able to purchase it for 7.99 at the Playstation Store. I give this game 3.5/5 Trogs

3.5 out of 5 TROGS!

GameTrog Review By

Ultragoldenant

Ultragoldenant is a nerdy father of 3 from outside of Pittsburgh, PA. He also collects wrestling memorabilia, enjoys cosplay, and has a deep love for the decade known as the 90s!