Japanese import test
A little over a year ago, in September 2004 to be precise, SNK Playmore announced the establishment of an online game mode for its next titles, including remakes. The Japanese publisher has indeed engaged with the Japanese company KDDI, which already handles Capcom's network games, to include high-speed online modes for several PS2 titles coming to Japan. Thus, since the anniversary date of the saga The King of Fighters and more particularly the release of KOF '94 Re-Bout, fans of good 2D fighting can now challenge any other player around the world to test their fighting techniques. A bonus which may seem trivial to some but which turns out to be a strong argument to attract the customer who has always dreamed of facing Japanese players without going through the excessively expensive travel box. The Last Blade 1.2 compilation is therefore the second remake, after Garou: Mark of The Wolves to offer this kind of service. And like the latter, SNK Playmore was just happy to adapt the two games in the simplest way possible on a single wafer. Point of scenery reworked with the presence of 3D elements (God be praised) or even change in content, The Last Blade 1.2 is presented as is without any superfluous artifice. Some will cry foul while others will rub their hands, delighted to find this legend of the fight in 2D.
Just a question from Megs
The arrival of The Last Blade in 1997 on Neo Geo was a major surprise that no one really expected. At that time, stabbing enthusiasts only had eyes for the Samurai Spirits series, which had already imposed its rough-and-ready style on the 2D fighting scene. Unfortunately after Samurai Spirits IV: Amakusa's Revenge, SNK had other projects for Haohmaru and his acolytes since the Osaka firm tried the 3D adventure with them on Hyper Neo Geo 64, just to do a bit like everyone else . In order not to disappoint its fans too much, SNK already had in mind the idea of offering a new game that would also be played with katanas. Graphically finer thanks to the development of a new engine (also used for Garou: Mark of The Wolves), more fluid animations, more technical gameplay than that of the Samurai Spirits saga although similar in its approach, it It didn't take long for The Last Blade to legitimately replace the Samurai Shodown series in the hearts of gamers. And like a bunch of fadas players from the quadrant, The Last Blade series is still one of the best in terms of old-school fighting games, as the other would say.
The Last Ronin
The story of the two episodes of The Last Blade takes place in feudal Japan, a period during which the Japanese archipelago inhabited a large number of samurai ready to give their lives for the cause of their master. Between Kaede, Moriya and Yuki, the three disciples of Gaisei, nothing is going right. Ever since their sensei's death, a boundless rivalry has sprung up within the group when Yuki openly accused Moriya of being the alleged perpetrator of Gaisei's assassination. A fight then begins between these three ronins who will try between two fratricidal fights to find the real murderer. A long quest that will lead our warriors to face other mercenaries from the country, each with a very specific fighting technique. What is initially shocking when playing The Last Blade 1.2 for the first time is the low number of playable characters in the game. Without counting the hidden characters, the choice amounts to 12 for The Last Blade and 16 for the second episode. We are indeed far from the forty characters of KOF 2001 or NeoGeo Battle Coliseum. However, and putting things in their context, namely when the two titles were released on Neo Geo, SNK initially wanted to offer a game of impeccable quality, always increasing the number of Megs in a one and the same cartridge. What we lose in number of characters, we gain in overall quality and no need to play for hours to see how the developers have done a job of goldsmith.
Each of the characters in The Last Blade 1.2 have been carefully researched so that none are out of step with the others. Of course, some of them will get more sympathy from the players but overall, all of them really make you want to linger and discover all the intricacies of combat they offer. Kaede (able to transform into a super sayajin, which allows him to access attacks and furies different from his first form which was set aside in The Last Blade 2) and Minataka Moriya are a bit like Kyo Kusanagi and Iori yagami of Kof with roughly similar attacks but dressed in katana sauce. Big hit fans will turn to Shigen and Juzoh with attacks that drastically reduce the opponent's life bar. On the other hand, it will be necessary to take into account their speed of movement which turns out to be lower. As for those who have a penchant for combos, their choice will naturally be Lee Rekka, a character created in homage to Dr. Wang Fei Hong (played on screen by Jet Li) and Zantetsu, easily recognizable by his headgear and his cape. One fights with his bare hands while the second has opted for the use of Kurenai. In short, you have understood, as in any good self-respecting fighting game, each character has a very particular style which will adapt to the preferences of the players.
how to play
As with any Neo Geo title, The Last Blade 1.2 is played using essentially four buttons. On PS2, certain actions and attacks that require pressing two keys simultaneously have been programmed to slice buttons. Square and Cross (the equivalent of A and B on Neo Geo) are used for the slash, or in other words to call upon his bladed weapon. The Triangle key (or C on Neo Geo) is intended to give batten blows which, associated with a direction, can sweep or strongly push back your opponent. Some characters can take advantage of this moment of weakness to knock the enemy to the ground by jumping on him for example, a bit like a Virtua Fighter. The last button, the Circle (or D on Neo Geo) allows you to repel or rather counter the opponent's attacks. By anticipating the blows and pressing the button at the right time, our avatar is able to stop an attack cleanly, destabilizing its antagonist for a small second. Since The Last Blade series has been given the sweet nickname of the spiritual sequel to the Samurai Spirits saga, SNK has decided to take certain ingredients from it to adapt them to its new franchise. We notice it just after the choice of the pugilists by the choice of his combat technique: force or speed. Two different approaches that allow you to anticipate how you will approach your match. In "Force" mode, the player is deprived of the possibility of using chain combos, these sequences of blows which, well done, do not allow their opponent to breathe for a single second. Conversely, we gain in striking force and the blows given inflict much more damage even when his opponent is on guard. If the "Force" mode does not allow access to the Special Combo, it has the merit of offering the player the possibility of triggering the second fury, much more visually spectacular and which will empty three-quarters of a gauge of life, knowing that each character has two. To do this, you will have to wait beforehand until your power gauge is at its maximum and your life bar reaches its critical threshold.
The Speed mode meanwhile allows you to have in your hands a character a little more flexible in terms of combos. A bit like a Tekken, it is possible to chain attacks by pressing a series of buttons in a specific order. Note, however, that these combos can be interrupted at any time in order to place a special attack to inflict more damage. Unlike the "Force" mode, hits against the opponent generate a lot of damage. Similarly, it is not possible to execute the second fury replaced by the Special Combo, which is not always easy to place in a match and which will put off the most novice players. Indeed, to access this particular attack, you will first have to switch to Special Combo mode by pressing down twice followed by one of the two slash buttons. The appearance of the spark and the screen turned black for a moment will tell us that the manipulation has been carried out successfully. It now remains to place the sequence Square, Cross, Triangle, Square, Cross, Triangle, Square, Cross and quarter circle before + Triangle (A, B, C, A, B, C, A, B and quarter circle before + C on Neo Geo) which seems impossible and endless in the eyes of the first newbie to come, but in the end not so impossible after hours, even days of training. However, there are common tricks to these two types of technique such as the famous Guards Cancels, accessible once the power gauge is half full. More powerful than the Repel (Round key), the Guard Cancel allows in a very short period of time to place a devastating combo as long as you master your character but especially the situation. We don't always think about it, but The Last Blade 1.2 has finish moves like Samurai Spirits IV: Amakusa's Revenge to end a match in style. Drain his enemy of his blood, cut him in two or even inflict a deep gash on him, the hemoglobin flows freely for the pleasure of the eyes.
Around the world
True to its policy of revival with an online game mode, SNK Playmore therefore offers with The Last Blade 1.2 the possibility of accessing dedicated servers to compete against players from all over the world. At present, the game being released only in Japan, most of the pugilists come from the Japanese archipelago and as much to tell you that the level reaches summits. Like Garou: Mark of The Wolves, access to the service is relatively good. Some lags remain again and again but it is not their presence that is the most annoying. Nothing too catastrophic then. By playing online, we quickly realize that there are real seasoned players in the land of the Rising Sun, not to say simple killers. Some won't give you much time to raise your thumb to call a time out. Here the stakes are colossal and only victory counts. In short, you have captured it, being able to play The Last Blade 1.2 online is quite simply what we can call a beautiful cherry on top of a big creamy cake. It's all gratin.
Available at Tokyo Eyes
