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On Sept. 27, during the Tokyo Game Show, fighting game developer SNK made a surprise appearance on Capcom’s stage (yes, Capcom!) to reveal Neo Geo Premium Selection. The initiative aims to revive classic Neo Geo games with training modes, rollback netcode for seamless online play, and other modern features. The first Neo Geo Premium Selection title is Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers, which was shadowdropped at the show. Now, at Evo France, Europe’s newest fighting game tournament, SNK revealed the second game in the series: Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle. And it’s available now via Steam.
What Is Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle?
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle debuted in 1996 during the arcade scene’s fighting game explosion, and is the sequel to 1995’s Savage Reign. Like Savage Reign before it, Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle is a weapons-based fighter set in South Town (the same location as the Fatal Fury titles), though in the city’s darker future.
After you pick your fighters, you select the one who first jumps into the fray (Credit: SNK/PCMag)
It differs from other SNK-developed weapon releases, such as Last Blade and Samurai Shodown. As the name implies, the game’s a tag-team fighter. However, SNK’s spin on tag fighting is radically different from the tagging in popular titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes or Project Justice.
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle features a 10-character base roster, and you pair two of them to form a team versus the CPU or a human opponent. That’s par for the tag fighter course. What differs is how you tag.
How Does It Play?
In Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle, you switch characters when you tap the tag button while positioned in a special tag zone (red zone for player one, blue zone for player two). That adds an extra strategic layer to the combat; keeping an opponent out of the tag zone means you can potentially lump up the active fighter. KOing one team member causes the duo to take the loss (regardless of the partner character’s health bar), so keeping an opponent out of the zone could mean the difference between a win and a loss.
A new Premium Selection feature lets you see character hitboxes (Credit: SNK)
That said, SNK included sidestep and dash maneuvers that let you evade incoming attacks. Wisely using these techniques may help you avoid a potentially deadly blow and reach the safety of your tag zone.
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You can also mix it up in four-player matches where each person controls an on-screen fighter. There’s a lot of potential for absolute chaos. You can even take the boss characters, Jyazu and King Leo, into battle (but in solo fashion).
What’s New in This Neo Geo Premium Selection Update?
As the latest entry in the Neo Geo Premium Selection line, Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle includes the following modern fighting game amenities:
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Rollback netcode
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9-player multiplayer lobbies
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Tournament and spectator modes
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A new practice mode, with speed selectors and a hitbox viewer
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A jukebox for bumping the game’s soundtrack
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Achievements
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Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle Is Available Now on Steam
Recently, SNK has become the master of the shadow drop. It had previously released SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ Ken Masters DLC, and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, just shortly after promoting the respective games at various events.
This is a significant release for Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle fans, as the fighting game hasn’t been available for purchase since the Japan-only port hit the PlayStation 4 in 2016.
You can buy Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle on Steam for $19.99. There’s no word on a future console release.
About Our Expert
Jeffrey L. Wilson
Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming
Experience
Since 2004, I’ve penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for many publications, including 1UP, Laptop, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skillset as the Managing Editor of PCMag’s Apps & Gaming team. Although I don’t write nearly as much as I used to, fighting games, streaming music, and web hosting are the categories that typically grab my attention these days.
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