Art of Fighting Anthology

The Art of Fighting Anthology bundles together SNK’s classic fighting series that helped define the Neo Geo’s early years. Starting with the first game, it introduced some bold ideas that set it apart from other fighters. The first game was all about Ryo Sakazaki and Robert García trying to rescue Ryo’s sister, Yuri, from Mr. Big. What made it stand out was the spirit gauge, your special moves drained it, and if you taunted, you could refill it at the cost of looking like a cocky jerk. The game also had dramatic zoom-ins during big moves, which felt cinematic for its time. But let’s be real, the difficulty was brutal. The AI read your inputs like a mind reader, and one mistake could cost you the match. Still, the gritty art style and the fact that characters aged as they took damage (bruises, torn clothes) added a cool layer of realism.  

Then came Art of Fighting 2, which polished everything up. More characters, better balance, and the addition of super moves, Ryo’s Haoh Shokoken was a beast. The story expanded too, diving deeper into the Sakazaki family drama with Takuma (Ryo’s dad) becoming playable. The spirit gauge was still there, but the game felt less punishing. The stages were more dynamic, with interactive elements like breaking walls, and the soundtrack? Fire. This was peak, hard but fair, with a ton of personality. The only downside? Some characters still felt clunky compared to the smoother gameplay of rivals like STREET FIGHTER. 

By Art of Fighting 3, the series took a turn. The roster was trimmed down, but the animation and mechanics got a massive upgrade. This was the smoothest of the three, with chain combos and a more fluid feel. The story shifted focus to a new protagonist, Kasumi Todoh, while Ryo and Robert played supporting roles. The gritty tone was still there, but the game leaned into a more anime-esque style, which divided fans. Some loved the fresh take, others missed the raw brawler vibe of the first two. The spirit gauge was tweaked again, now tied to a rage system that powered you up as you took damage. It was innovative, but the smaller cast and shift in tone made it feel like a spin-off rather than a true sequel.  

For all the old 3DS owners tired of getting left out with all these New 3DS-exclusive games, I’m dropping some love for Art of Fighting fans with two awesome patches. First up, the Upgrade Patch, this one adds Hi-Score SRAM, so your high scores actually stick, unlocks the Japanese version’s Very Easy and Easy modes because let’s face it, the default difficulty is brutal, gives infinite continues, speeds up meter gain in the Ice Break minigame, extends the Death Blow timer, and even sneaks in a cheat code to unlock Ryo’s Haoh Shoukou Ken early. Plus, versus mode gets stage cycling, and six-button controllers get proper defaults. Then there’s the Enhanced Colors patch, which drags this port closer to the arcade’s vibrant look, fixing the dull palette and making everything pop like it should. No more washed out brawling, just pure, punchy nostalgia, optimized for the old 3DS crew who still keep it real.