SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy Review — Ladies Night

Before you consider picking up SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t your typical brawler from the company. If you go into this game with, say, the same mindset as you would with King of Fighters XIV or even older favorites like Samurai Shodown, you might be thrown for a loop.

This game works on a sillier level than those titles. All it takes is one look at Mai Shiranui’s “Sexy Cow” attire (yes, sexy cow) and you’ll get the idea that Heroines is treading its own path in the fighting genre. A super-serious, strategy-laden brawler this isn’t.

But that doesn’t necessarily make the game bad. Not by any means. What SNK Heroines lacks in being a fighting classic, it makes up for with a great dose of humor, along with a smorgasbord of gaming ideas, mostly good. And it’s also a perfect game for those getting into the genre for the first time, with a level of accessibility that’s right up there with the previously reviewed Nicalis brawler Blade Strangers.

Not Your Usual Fighting Terrain

The game’s cast consists of nothing but female competitors, similar to the older fighting game Gals Fighters. You’ve got Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown, Yuri from The King of Fighters, the classic favorite Athena, and a handful of others from SNK’s legacy, probably being presented in some kind of sexy outfit (like the aforementioned cow get-up). Whereas Dead Or Alive 6 is going easier on the cheesecake, SNK Heroines is going all out sugar rush, with a bunch of unlockable outfits that will no doubt appeal to fans of that type of thing. They even turned series favorite Terry Bogard into a female combatant, complete with a “Fatal Cutie” hat to match.

That said, the game does have a general level of appeal that not only caters to fans, but also newcomers. We’re starting to see more fighting games make themselves accessible, while adding a layer of strategy that die-hard fans can get into. There probably won’t be any sort of SNK Heroines EVO-style tournament anytime soon, but the gameplay is varied enough to offer something up front for newcomers, and a little something more for those ready to embrace it.

Special moves, like Mai’s flying dash and Nakoruru’s bird summon, can be executed with the push of a button and a joystick direction. This command system works really well, along with other button attacks, the ability to throw an opponent if they get close, and switching to a selected partner if your energy happens to be running low. There are also cancel and evade techniques thrown in for good measure, in case you’re the kind of person that specializes in counter-attacks.

That said, you do have a gauge to watch out for so you don’t overdo on the special moves, as well as a Dream Finisher system. This is actually unique, as you can’t really finish a match unless you land one of these moves on your opponent when they’re on their last legs. This gives them a chance to come back instead of suffering a cheap knockout. But then again, it goes against the tradition of a usual fighting set-up, which may frustrate some people.

Finding Its Own Flow, Amidst Hang-Ups

There are also items, which can be thrown into the match with the use of the right analog stick. This is Smash Bros. style technique that can throw a number of objects in, mainly to throw an opponent off long enough for you to try and make a comeback. Again, a neat idea, but it won’t be for everyone — especially traditionalists who swear upon the idea of a fighting match being a fighting match and not, say, Smash.

But SNK Heroines follows its own fighting flow, and it works. The controls are accurate and responsive, and the sheer madness of getting into an online match (or even a local one) and watching all this stuff happen is more interesting than you might think. After all, it’s not every day that you see a “sexy cow” (yes, bringing it back up again) heave a giant bowling ball out of nowhere.

SNK Heroines also benefits from a number of modes. Story is kind of a throwaway, a one-and-done deal save for wanting to see how particular duos (like, for instance, Mai and Terry) end up interacting. But I wish we had a better boss — like King from The King of Fighters, for example — instead of “here’s Shadow Guy.”

A Lot To Do and Unlock, Despite a Shallow Story Mode

The local multiplayer is good fun, provided you have a good partner to spar against, and there are a number of modes where you can choose how you want to brawl. They’re not particularly deep, but there’s enough here for you for a good evening’s worth of fights. (NOTE: We were only able to try out local matches since online wasn’t activated yet, so we couldn’t review that portion of the game.)

There are also a number of unlockable outfits, which you can purchase with in-game currency. These vary from the sexy to the nostalgic to the absolute weird — there’s a “sexy clown” get-up in here too — but they offer a great deal of variety for folks that are in to that sort of thing. It adds surprising longevity to a fighting game, and the outfits are worth a look.

Along with gameplay, SNK Heroines also benefits from a comical, unique presentation. While the graphics aren’t the best the publisher have produced (I noticed slight frame rate issues and slowdown in some places), they do represent a level of fun we don’t normally see in their work. The animations are spirited and capture that “sexy” essence that the publisher was going for; and the backgrounds look very good. The cinemas are fun to watch too, though you can tell the final boss is definitely on the perverse side. Maybe that was the point.

The audio is good too, with fun little music themes thrown in to each match (nothing from SNK’s classic library, but nothing bad either) and character voices that range from the adorable to the annoying, depending who you’ve got in your arsenal.

Bring On the Cheese — and the Wild Fighting Tactics

In the end, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy isn’t going to suit everyone. While it has its own innovative fighting style that’ll work for a certain level of fans, there are also some people that’ll get rubbed the wrong way. The fighting system is different; and the comical approach is far different from what we’ve seen in the past from the publisher.

But it works. It’s a game that’s heavily accessible to newcomers and offers something for the pros as well, even if the fighting system isn’t perfect. It’s just as fun to watch a match as it is to engage in one; the characters have something to offer, even in the weirdest of outfits; and there’s just a goofy charm that’ll slap a smile on your face, even if things get a little too weird at times.

If it’s a fresh fighter that goes off the beaten path that you’re looking for, these Heroines are worth calling on. Just don’t expect The King of Fighters-level competition and you’ll be fine. But do expect that fresh coat of madness — it’s not every day you get knocked out by a “sexy cow.”

WWG’s Score: 3.5 out of 5

(Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.)

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy is available now for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.