| Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors | |
| Developer: | Sunsoft |
| Director: | Yuichi Ueda |
| Programmer: | Shigetaka Inaba |
| Artist: | Atsuki Matsui Daisuke Fukuda Eiji Koyama |
| Composer: | Masato Araikawa Takayuki Sasaki |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Arcade System: | Neo Geo MVS |
is a fighting game originally developed and published by Sunsoft in 1995 for the Neo-Geo MVS in arcades, and then for the Neo Geo AES console. It was Sunsoft's second fighting game after their 1994 Super Famicom spin-off of their Hebereke series, Sugoi Hebereke, as well as their first side-viewed 2D fighting game.
The arcade version of Galaxy Fight uses 32 four-megabit ROM chips (a total of 16 megabytes of data).[1] A year later in 1996, Sunsoft produced another 2D fighting game also for the Neo-Geo titled Waku Waku 7. Two years after that, in 1998, they joined a small company SANTACLAUS in producing the Sega ST-V powered arcade game Astra Superstars.
In 2017 the game was re-released under the Arcade Archives, developed by Hamster Corporation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, followed by a Nintendo Switch version a week later.[2] [3]
Though Galaxy Fight is similar to Sunsoft's later game Waku Waku 7 (which uses the same engine), the games have few elements in common (one of them being the mid-boss, Bonus-Kun). The players choose one of eight characters and travel among the in-game solar system to defeat the opponents inhabiting each of the planets before they get the chance to fight Felden and settle their personal scores with him.
The game uses a four-button layout where the first three buttons are used for non-specified striking attacks (they can be anything ranging from punches and kicks to tail whips and bites) with each specific button yielding different strengths of attacks. The fourth button is used specifically for taunts which has no practical impact. Combining several buttons together may yield new attacks or special moves depending on the character.
There are no walls in the stages to corner players; instead, the screen can scroll indefinitely.
Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was later ported to the Neo-Geo AES home console, which includes easy-to-access difficulty settings and limited credits. Its next port was the Neo-Geo CD version, which was ported by Sunsoft and features some of the same features as the Neo-Geo AES version, but with arranged background music. This version was later ported to the Sega Saturn and released worldwide. Later, a Sony PlayStation port was released in Japan and Europe. In 2008, the Neo-Geo CD version of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was included with the Neo-Geo AES version of Sunsoft's other fighting game Waku Waku 7 in Vol.11 of the Neo Geo Online Collection series for the Sony PlayStation 2, titled . While the Neo-Geo CD soundtrack of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was added in this version, the soundtrack of Waku Waku 7 is completely different from the unreleased Neo-Geo CD version that was later ported to the Sega Saturn. SNK was unable to add the Neo-Geo CD / Sega Saturn version of the soundtrack because of licensing issues. The Neo-Geo AES home console version of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was later ported to the Wii Virtual Console in Japan by D4 Enterprise on March 23, 2010 and on the Nintendo Switch eShop worldwide on May 18, 2017.
| Galaxy Fight -Universal Warriors- | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Masato Araikawa (composer) Takayuki Sasaki (composer) Jun Kojime (performer) |
| Released: | March 17, 1995 |
| Recorded: | Unknown |
| Genre: | Video game soundtrack |
| Length: | 51:44 |
| Label: | Pony Canyon Scitron Label |
A soundtrack album of the Neo-Geo version was released by Pony Canyon and Scitron Label on March 17, 1995 exclusively in Japan under the catalog number PCCB-00177. It contains nearly every background music, as well as sound effects and voice samples from the arcade version. It was composed by Masato Araikawa and Takayuki Sasaki, and performed by Jun Kojime.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors on their March 15, 1995 issue as being the fourteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[4] The game received generally positive reception from critics since its release in arcades and other platforms,[5] [6] though some criticized the harsh level of difficulty and other design aspects. According to Famitsu, the Neo Geo CD version sold over 13,385 copies in its first week on the market.[7]
AllGames Kyle Knight praised the audiovisual presentation and controls, regarding it as a decent fighting game but stated that "Galaxy Fights odd borderless gameplay may be its worst enemy, as many gamers will simply find the gameplay too odd and difficult to get used to." Consoles Plus Richard Homsy commended the visual presentation, gameplay speed, audio and playability. GameFans four reviewers praised the unique character roster and fighting mechanic, comparing the title's zooming effect with that of Art of Fighting. GamePro gave the Neo Geo version a positive review. They complimented the graphics, music, and the way each attack is suited to its particular character, but added that the game lacks the originality and polish to reach true greatness, concluding that "Galaxy Fight will definitely whet the appetite of fighters everywhere. But it doesn't provide the Big Bang needed to unseat Mortal or Killer in the arcades." Hobby Consolas Javier Castellote gave positive remarks to the visuals, sound and gameplay but criticized the lack of additional characters and speed of each character, as well as their small size when compared to other Neo Geo fighters.
MAN!ACs Andreas Knauf criticized the careless technical presentation, regarding Galaxy Fight as a poor conventional fighting game lacking in gameplay innovations, though he commended the characters and their special attacks. Mega Funs Stefan Hellert felt mixed in regards to the audiovisual presentation, stating that "The graphics don't even begin to use the capabilities of the Neo Geo, because apart from the admittedly absolutely fluid zoom effects and the fast course of the game, Galaxy Fight doesn't offer anything that a SNES couldn't do." Micromanías C.S.G. reviewed the Neo Geo CD version and compared the game with both Fatal Fury 3 and Savage Reign. He praised the technical presentation and borderless gameplay but criticized the small character roster. Última Generacións Gonzalo Herrero also reviewed the Neo Geo CD version, comparing its space setting with Cosmic Carnage, and praised the audiovisual presentation as well.
The Sega Saturn conversion was met with a more mixed response from reviewers for being a straightforward conversion of the original arcade game.[8] [9] [10] However, fan reception was positive; Readers of the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine voted to give the Saturn port a 7.4698 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 526 spot, indicating a popular following.[11] GameFans four reviewers commended it for being a faithful port of the arcade original but criticized the gameplay. Next Generation reviewed the Saturn version several months after the game's release, asserting that the title "looks and plays like an average Neo-Geo fighter." In contrast, Player Ones Christophe Delpierre gave positive remarks to the Saturn port in regards to audiovisual presentation and gameplay.