Rage of the Dragons NEO Review

Rage of the Dragons NEO is a updated version of Rage of the Dragons which was initially released in arcades in 2002. At the time, the game was praised for its technical aspects and pixelated visuals. Does this revamp of an arcade gem worth the wait and investment? Let’s find out.

Rage of the Dragons NEO is a 2 on 2 tournament style fighting game. You can tag in your partner once the tag meter is full in order to give your character a bit of rest if they are getting pummeled. Unfortunately, your health doesn’t regenerate. Once a character is knocked out, the other one comes in automatically as the “round 2”.

The 2D combat here is similar to Street Fighter where you have to use movements, for example, on the joystick, such as down, down-forward, forward with a punch or kick button. Players familiar with the aforementioned Street Fighter series or SNK franchises will feel right at home here.

Unfortunately, given the time period the game comes from and its original source platform, don’t expect much here in terms of gameplay. Sure, you and a friend can proverbially punch and kick yourself around for a few rounds; there’s a tutorial mode and leaderboards. There’s also a challenge mode where you can complete specific objectives.

One thing is for sure, the game looks great; it has bright 2D 16-bit pixelated style. It’s has a similar style to SNK’s fighters such as Fatal Fury and Capcom vs SNK games. Each character is uniquely designed with their own skillset for diverse play skill. Levels have also their own unique theme, but nothing really new and that hasn’t been seen before in the myriad of fighters that came before this. The soundtrack is an mix of upbeat eletronic and rocky tunes. Given they weren’t limited by technology for arcade platforms, they could include real music as opposed to chiptune tunes on consoles and it translates well here.

The A.I. is absolutely cheap here. I can understand this comes from a time where arcades were still a thing, but even on the easiest difficulty setting, the computer controlled fighters will pummel you into submission. They can also corner you and juggle you until you’re K.O.. There’s also questionable hit detection, especially against bosses. Also lack of gameplay content means little to no replay value.

Rage of the Dragons NEO is not worth your money and time. While I can appreciate resurrecting arcade classics that never made it to consoles, but it also shows how bad they have aged and how oudated the gameplay and content can be. Even as a die-hard fan of 2D fighters, I couldn’t find a reason to keep playing. Being pummeled constantly doesn’t make for a fun experience. Had it been part of a collection of lost arcade games, it would’ve been interesting. But in a world where Capcom Fighting Collection is available, this is an easy pass.