The Art of Darkstalkers

Following my review and to an extent my article My Favourite Dimension, Darkstalkers is a series that has always captured my imagination and has been very influential in my own personal art. In my review I hinted that part of the game’s strength is the fact that it isn’t tethered to real-world logic, moreover, I think it works so well because it takes influence from the folklore of different cultures but shuns their context in favour of its own world. This is a popular approach in anime, where shows like Soul Eater do the exact same; that show takes Medusa, Frankenstein and Excalibur and mixes them all up together. When done well this borrowing can be utterly brilliant and it exudes a certain authority by having familiar monsters and demons, but takes them into a whole new world.

On a simple level, having Red Riding Hood fighting Dracula is a hilarious and appealing proposition, but what Capcom did with this “dear little girl,” (B.B Hood) was to give her an Uzi and a disturbingly playful demeanor. Her bright, childish song smashes against the subdued music, making it incredibly eerie. Similarly, her colourful red cloak is childish yet alarming and contrasts against the murky, tertiary tones of the backgrounds. This isn’t exceptionally crazy or inspired, she came from the mind of the Brothers Grimm after all, but in this context it is fairly bonkers.

Unlike characters such as; Talbain (Werewolf), Hsien-Ko (Chinese Hopping Ghost) and Demitri (Vampire), there are a few characters who seem wholly unique. One of my favourites is Q-Bee whose moveset is just amazing to watch and really visceral (which I’ll talk about later), another is the alien Pyron whose standing animation is just brimming with movement and tangible energy, however, the one I want to talk about first is Jedah because his moveset and animations are just so bloody cool, with emphasis on bloody.

I did say wholly unique, I think it’s clear to see him as a bat-informed-grim-reaper of sorts. He differs from the rest of the cast in a very sanguine way, every move he does feels utterly vile, sharp and dripping with blood. Most of his moves involve some degree of self-harm and mutilation, with blood spatter being thrown around and one where he pumps his blood into the opponent, causing them to explode. The sharp edges along his headress and bladed wings give a strong scythe feel (they actually turn into a scythe during certain attacks) and have long, downward plunging blades which impart a feeling of negativity; almost as if they are pointing down to hell. Funnily enough, the second of his Specials, Finale Rosso involves a mass of hands pulling the opponent down into a blood pit whilst he stands and laughs at them struggling, submerged in blood. It’s his first Special though that is my favourite move in any fighting game ever; Prova di Servo.

With my absolute beginner, restaurant-ordering-level-Italian, I translate this as Proof of Servitude. Here, Jedah bloodlets via his slit wrist, spilling out a blood sprite on to the floor. This sprite then forms a massive red, bendy arm, grabs the opponent, batters them about the stage then smashes them against a giant contract, forming a shape of the opponent in their own blood thus creating a blood-contract. It’s utterly beautiful in its concept and execution; it’s fast, brutal, creative, unique and basically I love watching it; it’s a move that stays with me and is so sumptuous and engaging that I would pick him, learn him and play as him just in order to do those moves – just to see them again.

This a big reason why I keep coming back to the game; I want to see it again, I want to play the game not just for the mechanics, but for the art of it all, for the music, aesthetics, moves, glorious animations, special moves and endings. Everything outwith the actual fighting itself is something that makes it special and deeply rewarding. This is what a great fighting game is to me, it’s a range of unique characters who are interesting in their visuals as well as their story. It’s backgrounds that are varied, atmospheric and stimulating – it’s the whole aesthetic experience of the world and feel of the characters. Darkstalkers is the best fighting game to date in this regard and should, at least, be experienced for the art alone.