The Neo Geo Pocket Colour was one of those handhelds I thought looked neat but never had the cash or time to get one.
So seeing SNK bring back some of the short-lived handheld’s best titles to the Switch has been an absolute treat. After the release of SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium and Metal Slug 1st and 2nd Mission last year, it seems the best was yet to come, as SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters’ Clash has arrived on Switch.
First released in 1999, Card Fighters’ Clash is a phenomenal card-battling RPG often regarded as the Neo Geo Pocket’s best game.
Card Fighters’ Clash nails the whole easy to pick up, difficult to master schtick with aplomb by marrying simple core mechanics coupled to systems with plenty of depth and fun card combos, for it to take an age to master the game.
Anyone who has ever played Magic: The Gathering will know what to expect while playing Card Fighters’ Clash. Each player draws a card per round and then can lay up to three Character Cards down (one per turn). Character cards attack each other first, then the player’s Battle Points ( their life points) directly.
For example, if you have your Ryu card attack your opponent’s Mai card, Ryu who has 1000 BP, would knock out Mai who only has 600BP, and she is removed from play. However, before this happens, 600 BP is subtracted from Ryu’s 1000BP as Mai counterattacks, leaving Ryu with 400 BP left. This is then deducted from your opponent’s life points. Once a player’s health hits zero, they lose, so it’s important to find the right balance between attack and defence while always you keep the pressure up.
Simple right? Maybe a little too simple? Thankfully, a card’s BP isn’t the only factor at play. Many cards have special abilities you can activate during play. Some cards can also unite with other related cards (Eg. Ken and Ryu) to trigger special attacks and boost their BP further. This action is balanced out because you end up a character short, which can leave you wide open to a counterattack.
Drawing and playing Character cards from your hand also gives you SP, which you can use to activate Action Cards that can help you turn the tide of battle.
These elements create a thoroughly enjoyable and deeply tactical, incredibly addictive game.
The only downside (one it shares with Magic and most other trading Card games, to be fair) is that matches can begin to drag when your opponent starts to counter every damn thing you do. There is always an element of luck – if you don’t get a good hand early on, matches can descend into frustrating battles of attrition.
The cards themselves look great. There are 300 to collect, each with a different SNK or Capcom character presented in a super-deformed style reminiscent of Pocket Fighter. The breadth of characters on display is great, with characters spanning everything from Street Fighter and King of Fighters, to Metal Slug and even Resident Evil.
All the necessary info on each card is also easy to read and concise, and any special rules are always on display, making it incredibly easy to figure out which card you want to use during play. Making the moment to moment gameplay feel slick and intuitive. It also makes it easy to sort your cards and modify your deck.
The card battling antics are set to a Pokémon-Esque RPG, that sees you travel to various Capcom and SNK themed areas to compete in tournaments by challenging other players to card battles, win boosters, and build up your deck packed full of your favourite SNK and Capcom characters.
It’s a chill time, and engrossing to the point you can lose an evening to it and not even notice.
Not only is Card Fighters’ Clash a great game, but it’s a great port too. Originally it was released Pokemon-style as two separate versions; Capcom and SNK. The Switch port lets you play through either version and lets you trade cards between the two. This makes collecting all 300 cards a lot easier than it used to be.
You can also play versus mode on a single system with each player holding one end of the system. Though online matches and trading would have been better, still it’s a nice little addition all the same. Features from other games in the Neo-Geo Pocket collection like manual save states, rewinding, and game manual are included as well.
Those into trading card games like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-gi-oh will find a lot to love about Card Fighters’ Clash. At under a tenner, even if you’re not usually into card games, it’s worth a shot, especially if you’re a fan of SNK and Capcom, as there are characters from tons of series represented here. Sit back, relax, and after a few hands, SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters’ Clash will sink its oversized cat claws into you.
Come for the chibi Leon Kennedy. Stay for one of the best digital card games ever devised.
