Cute Fighter [큐트파이터] Game Sample - Arcade
40Cute Fighter is, as you can probably tell, an update to Semicom's 1996 fighting game, SD Fighters. Being made in 1998, Cute Fighter had something to prove...not entirely to the masses, but Semicom and those involved (Tirano, etc.) with SD Fighters needed to prove something to themselves. Bringing the roster of characters from 8, to 12 (9 in the previous game if you can play with the boss, Liger, and 13 in Cute Fighters if you can play with the boss), Cute Fighter is a little bit more than just 4 more characters.
The game is not necessarily all that different...but it is, at the same time. The small adjustments, like a hit counter, "special finish screens", and a bit more music variety...they all add a bit of needed polish. On top of that, the new characters aren't the only "new" elements to the roster. ALL the old characters feel more like new characters, because instead of the one super move characters seemed to have in SD Fighters, everyone in Cute Fighters has MULTIPLE super moves at their disposal! Basically, many super moves function as "EX" versions of their regular moves, with some actually being rather exaggerated extensions, and then, some others are just over-the-top new stuff. There are graphics updates too, though this isn't immediately obvious...characters like Typhoon, for example: in the previous game, his super move had him launch numerous fireballs in rapid succession. In Cute Fighter, he still does that, but the fireballs actually look decent now, rather than weird, nearly lifeless "wisps" or whatever (perhaps they were meant to be like wind shots, given his name). Characters like Sho definitely become more "SNK-like", with him gaining a super move that basically emulates a lot of "Ryo", from the Art of Fighting/King of Fighters games. He executes a combo of over one dozen hits, before stepping back and shooting a large fireball. Then, characters like Tanya, who had no fireball (to my recollection) in SD Fighters, has a super move where she releases a rapid stream of energy balls...which may not sound like a big deal, but it gives a character that had no projectile something a bit more viable for different situations.
Moving on, the way you execute super moves is a bit different now as well. You don't charge energy this time...instead, you have "energy stock", that goes up to a max of 6. Think of "6 super bars", from a Capcom fighter...but from my testing, every super move costs at least 3 energy stock (which means having six, you can use two super moves). You can execute an "Energy Explosion", for desperate situations, once a match (not once a round...basically, if you do it in the first round, you can't do it in the second round, or any following rounds). An Energy Explosion instantly gives you an emergency 3 energy stock, so you can do a super move if you need to. Your energy slowly goes up, but like some other fighters, doing punches and kicks and moves can help it go up a little faster (in this game, that applies even if attacks don't connect...not all fighters follow that system). There could be super moves that cost all 6 energy stock, but as of this time, I don't know of any.
Previous game systems return, such as dodging and roll evasion and striking downed opponents. Worth noting, is that one of the "new" characters is actually the boss from the previous game (Liger, who is basically the "Akuma" of SD Fighters, and a variant of "Tiger"). The boss of Cute Fighter is different from that of SD Fighters, and he is shown in the "Charactor Box", but he is faded and not highlightable. The visuals aren't too different from SD Fighters, though some special attacks are improved and old characters have some new art stills. Also, "special finish screens" are always cool, for some reason...lol, they were cool even when they were first introduced and I don't know who, exactly, came up with the idea, but it has been a mainstay ever since.
The one gripe I have about Cute Fighter (besides the "average" music) is that...again, the gameplay is a bit rough. Balance and hitboxes and somewhat stiff controls and things like that...same as SD Fighters, but perhaps a bit more balanced, due to the expanded fighting options...OR, those same expanded options can make the game feel LESS balanced. It depends on who you ask. If the game were balanced more and there were more "invigorating" ear candy (not that the game has any real ear candy as it is), the game could be really neat. This is a pretty decent attempt and the game feels a lot more "whole" than SD Fighters did, due to the adjustments outlined in this write-up. I think Semicom and crew was hoping they could have an "SD Series", but alas, that never happened, as current events can tell you. This video is essentially "Ladies' Night", using the new ladies, and Tanya.
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