Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle

“Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle is a fun though somewhat dated title that, above all else, serves more as a reminder or a history lesson regarding a small niche in the fighting game genre. It’s a fun title with decent quality of life enchancements, but when compared to its kin (be it more modern or from the same era), it feels more like a curiosity than your next fireball-throwing obsession.”

“Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle represents a technical achievement for its time and marks the return of one of SNK's more obscure and lesser-known franchises. Its innovation lies in the tag-team combat system for 2D fighting games, a mechanic that, along with Chain Combos and improved speed, adds personality. However, it features a small roster of characters, lacks the strength of other SNK franchises, and suffers from an excessively high difficulty level. The modern PC port by Code Mystics is outstanding thanks to the inclusion of Rollback Netcode, support for up to four simultaneous players, and a highly customizable practice mode.”

“This new release of Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle is a welcome addition to SNK's remaster catalog, especially given the unconventional nature of the choice, as it's not one of the company's flagship titles. While it follows the example of its predecessors in being sparse on additional content, the core gameplay remains as fun as it is brutal, and that's what matters at the end of the day.”

“Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle set the stage for two-on-two fighters, burning bright decades later in Code Mystics’ Steam release.”