The late 90s were a turning point for the video game industry as gaming was moving from arcades to in-home entertainment systems. Portability was coming into play and many new entrants were entering the market as well. One of such consoles was the Neo Geo Pocket Color which saw some really amazing titles such as The Last Blade which we are going to review here. Originally released for Neo Geo back in 1997, the game also received a sequel The Last Blade 2 in 1998. This was a lost franchise however SNK has brought back both titles to life on Nintendo Switch as The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny. This is our review of The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny on Switch in which we experience this nostalgic fighting game on a much more modern device.
Right from the first screen of the game as soon as it gets loaded, you see that the game is played inside an actual Neo Geo Pocket Color console. The game screen is pretty small and it tries to deliver an as authentic experience of the original console or arcades as possible. You can change the skins of the console to match your own taste however the visuals of the game and the sound design remain the same. The screen offers the same 16-bit colors and the audio design from the original game however, you can increase the brightness of the game from the console menu. It’s not too much different but if you do not like the original low-brightness screen, you can go for the more bright one.
The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny comes with plenty of game modes for you to try your mettle in. You have the normal story mode where you follow the main story of the game. If you want a real challenge, you can jump into Survival mode and keep fighting with players until your health reaches zero. You also have Time Attack as well as the Training arena where you can practice the moves of all of the fighters in the game. In addition, the game also features the two mini-games from the original titles The Hometown Competition and The Great Escape from Hell’s Gate. This makes it the complete The Last Blade experience on the Nintendo Switch.
The same can be said about the fighters included in the game as well. Apart from the normal fighters from the first game, there are also some hidden fighters in the game which you can unlock and this allows you to have fighters from both the first game and the second game at the same time. Each fighter comes with its own unique move sets and skills. However, you have to find out the moves and all the special attacks yourself in the training mode. There is no official tutorial explaining all this and there is no menu to explain the advanced moves as well. This makes it a little difficult for modern players to understand the game and jump in the action right away.
If you are a fan of modern fighting games, you might find the AI of the game to be a little weird. While it offers a good challenge if you are just starting with the game however if you’ve learned the moves of the game and are quite good at it, the AI seems to be pretty lazy. It focuses on one attack and then takes a break which makes the gameplay a little slower. Keep playing the game some more and soon you can easily predict most enemy attacks as well right from the start. Based on your playing style, you can go for Speed or Power ability, but you can also unlock the EX mode which offers a decent blend of both Power and Speed to you.
The Nintendo Switch release of The Last Blade however comes with some added console features. One of the best features that I liked was the same console Vs mode which is even possible on a single Switch Lite console. During this mode, the screen splits in two and you can use each side of the console as a player’s side. The two sections of the screen are facing opposite from each other that offers a fun, little Vs session on the same console. Apart from this, even if you quit the game in the middle of a fight, start the game again and it will resume right from the spot where you left the game.
However, it was a little weird that the game does not use any additional buttons available on Nintendo Switch. The Start button only pauses the game and to go back to the menu, you have to restart the title from the console menu which is weird for today. Apart from this, you do get a small window to rewind the game a few seconds back and play the game again from that point. However, this time is extremely small and might not be always useful unless you want to change your last executed move on your enemy. You can also customize the controls on your Switch but you cannot use any of the extra keys that it offers and you have to stick to the basic Neo Geo Pocket Color scheme for some reason.
Final Verdict:
If you are a fan of the old classic fighting games and particularly the Neo Geo titles that Nintendo has been adding to its Nintendo Switch eShop for a long time, then you will certainly like the decent weapon-based combat system of the game. There are plenty of modes if you to play and the ability to play versus even on the same Nintendo Switch Lite is a big plus for you to have this game. At $7.99 it might be a little on the higher side for a simple port and depending on your choice, you could opt for much better games in this price bracket as well however if you missed playing this long-forgotten game, then I am sure that you will be glad to play it on your Nintendo Switch.
Final Score: 7.0/10
