Developer: Micronet
Publisher: Extreme Entertainment Group
Released: 1994
Revengers of Vengeance. Where to even start with this one?
The stupid name is really the tip of the iceberg here. In fact, the entire box looks like the result of an xtreme 90s board meeting where they decided that a medieval-themed fighting game originally named Battle Fantasy in Japan and decided it needed to be called Revengers of Vengeance. Not only that, but the box advertises that the game is “Based on a true story!” “Revenge is sweet….they aren’t!”
And, of course, “Freaks! Freaks! Freaks!”
It actually does make sense in a weird way. Both Sega and Nintendo had jumped into the “extreme” attitude of the 90s with the Sega scream and Nintendo’s Play It Loud campaign. So, really, the aptly-named Extreme Entertainment was really just reading the lay of the land here, even if they may have gone a bit further than was needed.
When you actually play the game it’s nothing so extreme. Revengers of Vengeance is an odd mix of a one on one fighting game (which was, of course, the biggest genre going in 1994) and – of all things – a traditional role-playing game. When you jump into the campaign mode you find yourself wandering around a town that would look right at home in something like Phantasy Star III. The town comes complete with a pub for conversation, an item shop, armoury, weapons shop and a guild where you can take on specific missions.
Those missions introduce yet another genre to the mix, most resembling a vertical shooter.
The goal here is to earn enough money and experience points by fighting all the other characters and/or using the training options. After a certain amount of days you need to head to the final area and defeat the big bad. That’s the entirety of the quest.
It’s an interesting idea that doesn’t really work in practice, though perhaps if either half of the experience was a bit more competent it could have been a good experience.
The fighting is atrocious. The character animation is stiff and the controls feel mushy. This makes the whole thing feel really difficult to play. Luckily the AI is so bad it’s pretty easy to get your opponent stuck in a loop by spamming projectile attacks over and over again. If you can get into a groove it makes every fight a joke. I don’t know if you can complete the campaign mode this way, because I honestly couldn’t be bothered to spend the time it would take to find out.
And because this is the 90s each fighter comes complete with a fatality move.
Revengers of Vengeance is the product of a single developer, it appears, as just about every credit is given to someone with the handle “AZY.” This is the same AZY that created the similarly mediocre fighting game Black Hole Assault.
I normally try to find something positive to say about each game in this series, but Revengers of Vengeance doesn’t make it easy. The idea is a unique one that could have been great if it was surrounded by better mechanics. And the music isn’t bad. But generally, this is one of the most forgettable Sega CD games ever.
