KIZUNA ENCOUNTER: SUPER TAG BATTLE

I put time into this expecting a curiosity piece and came out with genuine respect for what SNK pulled off in 1996. Kizuna Encounter predates Marvel vs. Capcom, predates KOF's tag experiments, and gets almost zero credit for it. The core hook is a two-on-two tag system where you switch fighters mid-round by pressing the D button while standing in your team's marked tag zone on the stage floor. Lose either character and the match is over, full stop - your partner's remaining health is irrelevant. That single rule creates real pressure around positioning and tag timing in a way that still feels taut today. The control layout runs on the classic Neo Geo four-button setup: punch on A, kick on B, weapon strike on C, tag on D. The weapon button is worth highlighting because it adds a third attack dimension that most 2D fighters from this era didn't have. Chain combos off the punch and kick buttons are accessible without being braindead, and the evasive roll mechanic borrowed from King of Fighters gives you an out when you're pinned in a corner. There's no super meter and no desperation moves when health runs low, which means the tactical weight falls entirely on the tag system and your spacing reads. For players who find meter management in modern fighters overwhelming, this is a genuinely different rhythm. The Steam release, handled by Code Mystics, does the right things where it counts. Rollback netcode is in, and from reported play sessions it runs cleanly. The practice mode is seriously well-built for a retro re-release: hitbox viewer, speed selectors, adjustable AI behavior - the kind of lab tools that let you actually study this game rather than just button-mash through it. Four-player simultaneous battles are included too, a mode that was locked behind rare custom arcade hardware back in the day, so getting it here in lobbies of up to nine players is a genuine bonus. The gallery and jukebox round out the extras without padding the runtime with content nobody asked for. Here's the honest part: the roster tops out at around ten playable characters plus two secret bosses, which is sparse even by mid-90s standards. The character designs lean toward goofy archetypes - a rollerblading Joker, karate masters, ninja clones with marginal differences - and reviewers have consistently flagged that the cast never made the game feel like a standout in its era. The final bosses, King Leo and Jyazu, are notorious for AI input-reading that borders on absurd; some players report that higher difficulty settings actually feel fairer because the bosses' behavior becomes more predictable. The online player pool is already small, which is the real ceiling on this game's long-term value if you're coming in purely for ranked grind. If you're a fighting game historian or a Neo Geo completionist, this is a straightforward pickup. If you've got a regular sparring partner and want something low-footprint to lab together, the rollback netcode and four-player mode give you more than enough to work with. Solo grinders chasing online competition should temper expectations: the netcode works, but you'll be waiting for matches. Fred, Scout Team