Game:

Paradise (2006)

Duration: 35:03

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While I'm not entirely sure what to make of post-bankruptcy SNK (Playmore and beyond, though I can certainly say I'm glad they're still around), I can say that SNK as a whole takes a lot of pride in their accomplishments and always offer players food for thought and some of the best fan-service in the biz. With "The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise", we have a title that's part sugoroku / board game, part Mario Party... well, calling it Mario Party would be a stretch as it's limited to two players, so maybe Mario Vs.? The point is, it's a variety game in the grand scope of things and was (until later years) one of the few KoF spin-offs that's not just for KoF fans, but SNK fans in general. The main reason this title exists is to serve as one of the few NGPC-to-Dreamcast link games along with "Cool Cool Toon" and seemed like a cash grab on the surface, but it is more than competent as a standalone experience with a lot of neat cameos and tasty tidbits for serious SNK fans.

The game's plot is paper-thin: Several avid KoF fans find themselves inexplicably sucked into the Neo Geo Pocket where they meet many of their greatest heroes (and villains) and set off on a grand adventure to find their way home. Rumor has it that if they can accumulate enough ability points through partaking in the game's many events, they may find the answers they seek... but in any event, you're not here for that. KoF:BdP is a fast-paced board game where you and your opponent roll dice, use ability cards, earn / lose money, partake in events and try to have the highest total at the game's end to gain ability points and beat your opponent. At the game's start, you choose one of four characters (two boys and two girls) who have their own bits of personality and who serve as your avatar (you can rename them, but they have default names) and from there you choose a KoF character to partner with. There are 6 characters by default and four more hidden characters who impact what cards you start with as well as what happens during events, and each of these characters have a "light" (Justice) and "dark" side that further impact gameplay (events / cards).

The main draw of the game is its numerous boards which gradually add new challenges as well as the multitude of "Battle Games", of which there are about two dozen. The main battle games range from shooting to running to battling in tanks, concentration, quick draws, jumping, arm wrestling, dancing and more. There are also battle games that are issued at "Skull" locations where you encounter baddies like Rugal, Omega Rugal, Goenitz, etc., which are much more difficult than normal games and come with steep penalties (should they choose to make you go through it). The ultimate way to win is to collect more stars than your opponent which you can get by spending 20 coins at a star panel (up to 3 times / 60 coins each time) or through events and cards. Games can run the gamut of 30, 60 or 99 turns, and while this sounds long, the game moves at a brisk pace and takes less time than your average board game to complete a run.

The coins you have at the end of a game are doubled and converted into ability points while the stars you gain are used to level up your characters (strikers). As you reach certain ability point milestones, you will unlock battle games that you can play in your spare time for practice or new high scores as well as unlock new secret files, hidden characters, stages and ultimately the ending credits. Leveling up your strikers is two fold: the higher a strikers level is in-game, the more they benefit from certain level-based cards as well as their luck in events, but this also impacts the Japanese version of "The King of Fighters Evolution" ('99 Evolution) as it's compatible with the Dreamcast Setsuzoku Cable and will power up your DC strikers to absurd levels. Justice and Dark character levels are seperate, so you will need stars to power up both, and the board game has items and mechanics that will change your striker's alignment, so it's to your benefit to power-up both.

The game has a few nagging issues such as the inability to suspend your game in the normal sense (interestingly, if you turn the game off in the middle of a stage but leave it in your system, it will pick back up where you left off when you reboot) and it's easy to overwrite your data due to a lack of a warning prompt (the game holds one save file and starting a new game overwrites the old), but it's repetitive fun overall. The last thing of merit had remained a secret for years but was uncovered by major NGP fans: If this game is played in a monochrome system, you get to play the super secret remake of "Yosaku", SNK's first Arcade game released in the late 70s! No matter how you slice it, this title is essential for big SNK fans.

This video goes over a quick game and shows some things, ending with a snippet of Mai's super long memory dance (it actually DOES end) and Yosaku by Shin Nihon Kikaku. Enjoy.