Ninja Combat, 1990 Alpha Denshi/SNK
5Early scrolling beat-em-up for the NEO GEO courtesy of Alpha Denshi, before they became known as "ADK". Early on you can play only as the ninjas Joe (player 1) or Hayabusa (player 2), but as you get further in the game, you can select certain characters you earlier defeated. Musashi the samurai, Kagero the swordswoman, and Gembu the strongman will be selectable after a handful of levels. Each character has both a special move, which is activated by pressing C and then A, and they also have a charge move. This is carried out by holding down the A button for a few seconds, then releasing. This emits a very strong attack which is ideal for boss fights, but costs a bit of your energy meter and if it's not high enough you can't use the attack. Each character has a main weapon (shurikens, swords, or bare knuckles in the case of Gembu) that will increase in power up to 2 levels upon the collection of certain scrolls that can be taken from barrels you destroy. You can also increase the character's speed up to 2 levels. A character's death will set their power and speed back to the weakest levels. Increasing weapon power is paramount to success, as this increases the weapon reach as well. Getting distance from your enemies and letting them have it with your weapon may prevent them from reaching you in time before they croak. Another sly tactic is the old "attack from a different plane than them" method-- they may not be able to hit you and you can hit them! Lastly, utilize the "C then A" attack to get distance from certain tough enemies when they try to close in on you-- if they get close they can REALLY lay a whuppin' on you that you might not be able to escape from. Some of the dialogue/voice acting/zooming effects are a bit laughable at times, which is typical of NEO GEO games in the year of its infancy (1990), but it might still be worth a look for its interesting use of multi-character play and interesting character attacks. Suggested by YouTube user Charlie Cat.