Aggressors of Dark Kombat / Tsuukai GANGAN Koushinkyoku (ADM-008 ~ ADH-008)

SNK Neo-Geo MVS cart. published 30 years ago:

痛快GANGAN行進曲 (c) 1994 SNK Corp.
(Tsuukai Gangan Koushinkyoku)

1-on-1 fighter featuring 8 selectable characters.

The game's major innovation is the ability to walk into the background, in a similar manner to side-scrolling beat 'em ups such as "Streets of Rage" or "Final Fight" because of this, unlike many other 2-D fighting games, the game uses one action button to jump, it also does not use the 'D' button, (Which many of SNK's other fighters did), only 2 action buttons are used for attacking (punch and kick), instead grappling and grabbing opponents (Pressing the A & B buttons simultaneously) is the focus of the gameplay, opponents can counter being grabbed, as well as break free. Also featured is weapon play, again similar to beat 'em ups, weapons can be picked up and thrown, or used in special & standard attacks. Weapons are thrown in by background crowd members who will step forward to toss them into the ring. Another (strange) innovation of the game is that characters start to sweat -graphically- after a while.

Characters have unusually high health for the genre, with multiple, different coloured, health bars in one bar similar to a method of health bars used for boss characters in games of the time, in addition to this, each character has a 'Crazy Meter' at the bottom of the screen, which is built up as characters attack, this gives the character a special, often very bizarre, attack that will kill the opponent outright, known as the GanGan Attack in Japan, and the Crazy Attack in the US.

Battles are joined by irreverent, sometimes humorous pre-fight banter from characters, the dialog differs depending on whom each opponent is, and a clashing of 2 small images of the characters eyes, which clash in the center of the screen.

- TECHNICAL -

Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware.
MVS ID: NGM-074
ADK ID: ADM-008

[SNK MVS Neo-Geo Controls]
2 players - 4 buttons per player (3 usables).
=> [Joystick] 8-Way, [A] Punch [B] Kick [C] Jump

- TRIVIA -

Tsuukai Gangan Koushinkyoku was released in July 1994 in Japan.

This game is known outside Japan as Aggressors of Dark Kombat. (A)ggressors of (D)ark (K)ombat = ADK. The title is also a kind of pun on "Mortal Kombat".

The title of this game translates from Japanese as 'Thrilling Intense March'. GANGAN is also Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a large bell or a scolding voice.

Criticism: Aggressors of Dark Kombat is a somewhat unknown title compared to SNK's other fighting franchises such as "Fatal Fury", "Art of Fighting" and their signature fighting title "The King of Fighters" and was not found in great numbers in arcades, nor did it's home console version sell well, and it is generally considered by reviewers and fans of the genre of the time, to be a mediocre title. Now, Aggressors of Dark Kombat is considered a cult game, recommended for all those gamers who wants a different game of those mentioned before.

The game features 8 selectable characters, these characters are not named anywhere in-game, unusual for the genre, which usually gives the character's name in the menu, and almost always places it at some point around the character's health bar. 7 of the characters are new and also appears Kotaro Fuuma from "World Heroes".
* Joe Kusanagi - His nickname is 'Red Panther of Honmoku' and is the protagonist of this story. Joe is the most powerful and famous brawler of the Eastern zone of Japan (know as Kanto). Bored of doesn't find good opponents in his zone, he heard rumors about strong guys in the Western zone, so he travels there to confirm the rumor. Joe is the balanced character in the game, with many combo moves and various techniques. Apart of this game, he appears as a cameo in one of Kisarah's attacks in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
* Kisarah Westfield - Her nickname is 'Naive Tomboy'. An English school girl who is known as a femme fatale in Japanese schools. But Kisarah falls in love with Joe Kusanagi and now chases him to obligate Joe to be her boyfriend. She is the only female in this game, the most famous character, and one of the most versatile characters from this game. Kisarah appears as a selectable character in "Neo Geo Battle Coliseum" and as a SNK character card in "SNK vs. Capcom - Card Fighters DS".
* Goh Kidokoro - His nickname is 'Strong Spirit from Naniwa'. Goh is the most famous brawler in Western zone of Japan (known as Kansai) and he has his own gang. Goh got the news about the arrival of 'Red Panther from Honmoku' and now is waiting to fight against this new menace for his goal of nationwide conquest. Goh is the grappler from this game, with many powerful grabs and various powers.
* Kotaro Fuuma - His nickname is 'Angry Hurricane'. His story in the game is simply that he got lost during one of his travels through time and landed in 1994 Japan, where the game takes place, becoming involved in the ensuing fights. Like the rest of characters in AODK, Fuuma doesn't have powers (only his EnRyuuHa signature move from WH series makes the transition with him), but in return, he gains many combo moves and a teleport.
* Leonhalt Domador - His nickname is 'Black Bull'. A German brawler who escapes from his native country as a refugee. He comes to Japan to convert in the most strong fighter of all, no matter what for. Leonhalt is the tallest, slowest and the most powerful fighter from this game. Also he's the rival for Sheen Genus.
* Sheen Genus - His nickname is 'Rising Tiger'. A Canadian amateur wrestler who wants with his group to make his own professional Wrestling Federation, and now is searching strong people to join to him. Sheen is the wrestler of the game and is the rival of Leonhalt Domador. Recently appears in "SNK vs. Capcom - Card Fighters DS" as an Action card.
* Lee Hae Gwan - His nickname is 'White Fang'. A Chinese martial artist who lives in Japan and works for a school. Now he searches for revenge against the brawler who makes disasters in his school: Leonhalt Domador. Lee is one of the fastest characters in the game, who has a good arsenal of kicks and various martial tricks.
* Bobby Nelson - His nickname is 'Brown Bullet'. An African-American boy who is a basketball player and wanted to be known and famous. To achieve his objective, Bobby is traveling the world, waiting to be discovered. Bobby is the fastest and smallest character in this game, and the only one who always have a weapon within (in this case, his basket ball). Recently appears in "SNK vs. Capcom - Card Fighters DS" as an Action card, along with Sean Matsuda from "Street Fighter III".

The game features written lyrics at the credits roll for each character, either it was not feasible to get vocal works for these songs, or it could be an attempt to invite gamers to have fun with these by attempting some sort of karaoke. The latter option seems highly probable due to the popularity of karaoke in Japan.

Soundtrack releases :
[JP] October 21, 1994, "Tsuukai Gangan Koushinkyoku [GSM 1500 Series] [PCCB-00163] - Pony Canyon / Scitron

- UPDATES -

There are almost no differences between the Japanese release of this game & the International versions aside from the rather drastic name change, but it is worth taking notice that there is blood to be found when you use a critical hit on an opponent on the Japanese release only.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Some throws that either break bones or hit the opponent's crotch will stun opponents for quite a long time, allowing you to get an easy chance for a big combo.

* Beat the game 2 times in a row to see all the characters in a super deformed style at the end of the credits.

* Beat the game 2 times in a row and without using a continue to get a longer Karaoke sequence and a group shot of chubby versions of the characters.

- STAFF -

Developed by ADK.

Executive Producer : Kazuo Arai
Producer, Action Plan, Game Director : Tsutomu Maruyama
Director, Game Plan : Takashi Hatono
Second director, Algolism Plan : Kenji Sawatari
Marketing Researcher : Yukio Gotoh
System Planner : Tsutomu Maruyama
System Programmers : Eiji Fukatsu, Makio Chiba
Programmers : Hideo Kamoda, Teruaki Shirasawa, M. Ando, Satoru Kubota
Editor : Mitsunari Ishida
Sound Direction : Tsutomu Maruyama
Sound & Music : Hideki Yamamoto, Hiroaki Shimizu, Hiroaki Kujirai, K. Kasuga, Takeshi Muramatsu, Yuka Kurosawa
Art Director : Tsutomu Maruyama
Graphic Designers : Kazushige Hakamata, Hideyuki Toda, Kimitoshi Yokoo, Muneki Shiraishi, Hideyuki Yamada, Hajime Suzuki, H. Ozono, Tohru Okamura, Atsushi Kobayashi, M. Yoshikoshi, Masato Mitsuya, Y. Nishidate, R. Nakajima, Yasuyuki Sohara, Kenichi Sakanishi, Hideyuki Kusano, Masano Ohno, Takashi Egashira, Shinji Moriyama, Satsuki Ito, Masako Sato, K. Ohashi, K. Ohnishi, Takahiro Arahata, S. Endo, T. Yamazaki, M. Honda, M. Himeno, T. Aoyagi, J. Seki, F. Kurihara
Demo Character Design : Koji Fujita
Public Information : Koji Fujita, Hajime Taguchi
Character Voices : Naoki Ogata, Yoshikatsu Fujio, Kazumasa Katsura, Yasue Ishii, H. Ando, Michael Naishtut, Dario Louis Pohissi, Julie Oppenheimer, Yang Ju Il
Schedule Manager : Kenichi Sakanishi
Special Thanks : H. Ando, Yuji Noguchi, K. Ono

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
[JP] SNK Neo-Geo (aug.26, 1994) "Tsuukai Gangan Koushinkyoku [Model NGH-074]"
[US] SNK Neo-Geo (aug.24, 1994) "Aggressors of Dark Kombat [Model NGH-074]"
[JP] SNK Neo-Geo CD (jan.13, 1995) "Tsuukai Gangan Koushinkyoku [Model ADCD-008]"
[US] SNK Neo-Geo CD (1994) "Aggressors of Dark Kombat [Model ADCD-008E]"