Waku Waku 7

Choice is typically looked at as a good thing in any consumer market - video games are no different. That said, by 1996 the arcade and home video game markets were flooded with fighting games in the wake of Street Fighter 2 that released five years earlier. By this time 3D fighters were in their third year of existence as well, which added even more choice for consumers. It's no surprise, then, that many quality fighting games flew under the radar while the larger, more established IP's in the genre got the spotlight both in the arcade and at home. 

Sunsoft's Waku Waku 7 was one of those games that just didn't garner much attention in the crowded fighting game scene despite strong critical reception at launch. Journalists at the time praised the fun atmosphere, tight gameplay, beautiful animation, and fantastic soundtrack - all the while mentioning that most people will never play this game due to the over saturated market. To this day Waku Waku 7 remains a hidden gem on the Neo-Geo, but it has had some resurgence in the modern era thanks to a digital re-release in 2017 at the launch of Nintendo's Switch console. 

Waku Waku 7 is the 1996 follow-up to Sunsoft's 1995 maligned (although quite good) Neo-Geo fighter Galaxy Fight. While Waku Waku 7 is arguably a better game overall than Galaxy Fight, it isn't perfect. Still, it's bursting at the seams with charm and panache that make it a must-play title on the Neo-Geo.

With one of the smallest character rosters of any fighting game before or after its release, Waku Waku 7 has only seven selectable characters in arcade mode and two more in Vs mode. Despite the small roster, the characters are exceedingly well animated and full of personality. The story and cast parody well-worn fighting game and anime tropes to create a game that never takes itself seriously. From the whip wielding Dandy-J (a wonderful parody of Joseph Joestar from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), the sword wielding Slash, or the sentient punching bag Bonus Kun who hails from a planet of other sentient punching bags, all nine characters are wonderfully unique in their gameplay and give the player plenty of options when trying to choose a fighter that suits them. If you're just starting out, Rai is the "Terry Bogard" of the game and is the most balanced/similar character to other fighting games. MaruMaru and Dandy-J are two of the more complicated to learn. Start out with Rai and work your way out from there once you get a feel for the general pace of the gameplay. 

The general gameplay is mostly similar to Capcom's Darkstalkers, although the combo system and speed of the game is more akin to slower-paced fighters. The player has access to 4 attack buttons (two weak and two strong for each punch and kick), and a bevy of special moves that have inputs similar to other 2D fighting games of the era. Fighters have access to seven super meter stocks in Vs mode, but in story mode you gain stocks by collecting the seven Waku Waku balls from fallen fighters. The Waku meter builds fast, and with each full stock you collect you can perform an EX version of every special move (like Darkstalkers) or use two stocks to unleash various super moves. All characters have access to an unblockable super move called Harahara that takes multiple seconds to build up and flashes a large WARNING sign in the center of the screen complete with sirens. While this move will slaughter the opponent in one hit, it's well telegraphed so if your opponent gets hit by it they really weren't paying attention.

When you have at least one super stock you can press A, B, and C together to enter Super Mode. While in this state your character receives a general damage buff and more lenient frame buffers allowing you to create combos you cannot otherwise. Really, this mechanic isn't dissimilar to the Advanced Mode in King of Fighters 97 and 98 with how the Max Mode works. While the Super state lasts just a short while, the damage you can do while in this mode is significant. 

The general speed of the game is slower compared to King of Fighters or Fatal Fury, but it's well paced. There aren't as many movement options as you'd get out of a King of Fighters game, but you have access to a dash, pursuit moves when you score a knock down, and get up moves when you get knocked down. One really unique get up move I've never seen is the automatic get up attack. When you're on the ground hold up on the controller to perform a get up attack that hits on both sides of your character! You can also mash buttons to get up faster. Even though all characters have a dash, not all characters can attack out of a dash. Each character's dash is also unique in how far it travels and what you can do out of it. 

Additionally, Waku's combo system isn't the most flexible when you're not in Super mode and combos overall aren't more than a few hits. Most special moves have numerous frames of start up, so many normals can't be canceled out of. That said, you can generally combo off of your light attacks into light button specials and do small two-in-ones. When in Super Mode you can do some small chain combos due to the leniency on your recovery frames in this state. 

Waku also has a plethora of wall-bounce and okizemi (on the ground) options that open up multiple ways to close in on your opponent for maximum punishment. While not all characters are "rush-down", the tempo of the fights and bombastic special moves make it hard to avoid attacks, even at mid-screen. Make no mistake - this is not a button mashers game and will require a fair amount of play in order to wrap your head around the characters and all the options available to you. 

So, Waku Waku 7 plays the part - but how does it look and sound? Well...this game is GORGEOUS! Seriously, it is one of the most striking games on the Neo-Geo with a smattering of pastel colors and anime overtones that bring a level of charm unseen in other fighters of the era. Each character sprite is well drawn, and the animation was second only to SNK's own Art of Fighting 3 at the time. Backgrounds are fun, colorful, and full of life. There are so many details and fun frames of animation to explore that you'll be hooked for hours just enjoying the visual splendor of the game. Even in the year 2022, over 25 years after the game's release, it still holds up today as one of the best looking fighting games of the 90's arcade era. I'd even go as far to say that, visually, it is one of the 10 most striking games on the Neo-Geo.

Good visuals and solid gameplay only go so far if the sound design isn't on point. Thankfully, classic Sunsoft was a master in video game sound design and Waku Waku 7 is a true masterpiece in their library. The music is varied and well crafted, and each character's theme fits their personality perfectly. Arina's theme is even fully voiced and sounds like the intro to a mid-90's era anime. On top of great music, the sound effects and voices are also top-notch. The aural experience is just as striking as the visuals, and the soundtrack is well worth a listen to outside of the game. That dude doing vocal scat during the character select theme is pure gold!

Waku Waku 7 isn't a masterpiece by any means. Despite its beauty, the gameplay takes some getting used to. At times it feels like the developers got a little lost along the way in figuring out how to make the game standout among its peers. A little more refinement in the combo system would have pushed it up another point or so, but that's a small complaint in an otherwise solid effort that is still a lot of fun to play. 

Sadly, like other less-popular Neo-Geo games, there were few ways to play it in the 90's outside of the arcade (if you could even find it outside of Japan). The game was released on the AES only in Japan, and in very small quantities. In the current market it sells for around $2500 or more depending on condition. The MVS version is much, much cheaper, but has become a sought after game on that platform as well, so expect prices above $300. 

There was no Neo CD release (planned but canceled), and the Sega Saturn was the only home console to receive a port when the game was relevant. That said, the Saturn port is gutter trash with loads of missing animation, slowdown issues, missing background details and color, and the game runs at half the resolution of the original making the entire screen look like a pixelated mess. There is no reason to source a Saturn copy in the modern age when you can easily purchase the modern digital port on Hamster's Arcade Archives series for $8 and it's a nigh-perfect emulation of the original. This is how I recommend to play the game unless you have access to a PC and the Fightcade online arcade client. Even if you have access to a Saturn and that version of the game, you are doing yourself and the game a disservice by playing a very imperfect port. This is one of those instances where emulation really is the best option.

Still, if you simply must have a physical copy of the game, Sunsoft released a double pack of their two Neo-Geo fighters on the Playstation 2 in the mid-aughts. This import only release includes the Neo-Geo CD version of Galaxy Fight (with arranged music) and the AES release of Waku Waku 7. These are true ports, so they play and act the part well. It's the best, and only non-Neo-Geo physical version to source. 

Like many Neo-Geo games, this is a must play title if you are into fighting games. The biggest drawback here is the astronomical cost of the game for the vast majority of gamers on either Neo platform. That said, the colorful, fun atmosphere will satisfy the casual gamer, while the deep gameplay mechanics will keep the hardcore busy for quite a while despite the small roster. As with all fighting games, it's best if you have a buddy, but the fun and wacky atmosphere and hard but decent AI will keep solo players busy as well.