Darkstalkers Resurrection

IT LIVES! It has arisen from its slumber to meddle in the affairs of petty humans. The classic Darkstalkers series has re-awakened on PSN and XBLA and it’s never looked or played better.

Darkstalkers is a series of fighting games where monsters from myth and folklore do battle including but not limited to; a lonely werewolf, a sexy succubus, Sasquatch, a cosmic entity, a Merman and a humanoid bee. The cast is vibrant and macabre, drawing inspiration from many different forms of folklore and story-telling then proceeding to mix them all up in a universe all of its own. A diverse and outlandish premise and cast results in a fighting game untethered from restrictions – one that can dip in-and-out of reality, time, and geography to present some brilliantly creative settings and wildly imaginative characters.

If you can press three buttons you can do a combo. It’s as easy as it comes to pick up and play Darkstalkers.

While the premise may be out-of-this-world, the fighting mechanic has its feet firmly on the ground. Moreover, the mechanic of Light>Medium>Heavy attacks started with Darkstalkers and has proven massively influential but, in my opinion, it’s never been better than right here. Starting with a light punch or kick you create a series of consecutive hits by moving to Medium and then to Heavy attacks. This keeps the action fast but never reliant on super-strict timing; if you can press three buttons you can do a combo. It’s as easy as it comes to pick up and play Darkstalkers. By that token though it’s anything but a simple game and time spent in Training Mode or doing the Tutorials and Challenges will allow you to explore the mechanics. You can, of course, just button mash if you choose – the game is so much fun and visually compelling this is totally viable, however, the game becomes something special when you take the time to learn the very basics.

This digital re-release comprises two games; Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Vampire Saviour which are #2 and #3 in the series respectively. The decision to include both might seem strange to players unfamiliar with fighting games because, despite each having three unique characters, the gameplay differences seem minimal. They are however different enough to warrant a separate game (and switching between them is as simple as pressing Select in the menus.) Without getting too in-depth the biggest differences are; game speed and round structure. Darkstalkers 3 is slightly faster and doesn’t have rounds per-se, it’s more like lives where, when your Vitality gauge is depleted, you are knocked down for a brief pause, the game then continues and your gauge is refilled but you lost a life. Your enemy retains their life until you deplete their gauge twice. This makes for a distinct difference in both feel and strategy and considerably changes how you approach your matches.

Other than that both games have a full suite of Online Multiplayer options and Netcode is handled with GGPO to ensure smooth online interactions that, in my limited time with it, was a joy to play. Very few fighting games have Online Rematch features which is by far my favourite inclusion as it forgoes the trip back to the Lobby, Character Select, Stage Select and Loading screens, that said, loading times are infinitesimally small anyway. There are 8-player Lobbies with Spectator and Tournament modes. You can watch uploaded matches in a lobby with friends in the aptly titled “Watch With Friends” menu, which allows you to look for and save specific match-ups. This can be incredibly useful if you are struggling against a specific character (like Anakaris in my case.) One of the best online features is the Upload to Youtube feature which lets you save your own replays and instantly upload them straight to your own Youtube account. Brilliant.

Challenges are compact and precise but are more useful than in most games. Usually you are just told to do moves but here, your chosen character mentors you through each challenge within one of five Chapters, ranging from fundamental to advanced. The narration is a really loving touch from Capcom where each fighter’s unique personality shines through as they offer you advice for each move such as, when to use them or things to watch out for. This is simple but very clever and makes all the difference as you are told why to use a move, not just how.

Training Mode is a staple and here you have enough options and features to let you get to grips with everything from basic timing to advanced chains. Firstly you can set parameters such as Dark Force (Darkstalkers 3 only) and Meter but also you can set Dummy settings. Setting individual parameters allows you to try out specific moves and set-ups that you maybe saw in a video, made up your self or let you perfect your timing on something you just can’t get without someone breathing down your throat or context/time restrictions.

The visual updates come by way of simple filters that are easy to experiment with to see which you like best as well as a slightly novelty Arcade Cabinet mode that recreates the classic CRT curved screen and cabinet from the Arcade days. A nice touch but little more. Character Select icons and Title Screen artwork have been changed to a new style by Artgerm. While they do look fantastic, there’s very little characterisation; facial expressions are banal and poses/gestures lack drama. Overall the overly-smooth, polished and bright look isn’t sympathetic to the retro sprites nor the gothic aesthetic and, as you see them first, they make the pixelated sprites look initially jarring. They are pretty but they don’t feel very Darkstalkers.