Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors

Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors[lower-alpha 2] is a 1995 arcade fighting game originally developed and published by Sunsoft for the Neo-Geo MVS arcades. 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.

Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors
Developer(s)Sunsoft[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Yuichi Ueda
Programmer(s)Shigetaka Inaba
Artist(s)Atsuki Matsui
Daisuke Fukuda
Eiji Koyama
Composer(s)Masato Araikawa
Takayuki Sasaki
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

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.

The arcade version of Galaxy Fight uses 32 4-megabit ROM chips (a total of 16 megabytes of data).[2]

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.[3][4]

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot featuring a match between Roomi (left) and Juri (right) fighting each other.

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.

Characters
  • Alvan: Alvan is the "Prince of the Ruined Planet". His planet, Rozalis, was invaded and destroyed and his family was murdered by Felden 1000 years ago. Alvan managed to survive thanks to the magic crimson stone and challenges Felden to save the life of the few living beings that are still left in his planet. He is the smallest playable fighter in the game.
  • Bonus Kun: Rouwe's own punching bag that has come to life. Rouwe has taught him basic fighting techniques. Bonus-Kun is a homage/parody of Ryu from Street Fighter.
  • Gunter: A gigantic green-skinned fire-breathing monster of immense power from the planet Guljeff. Only he and Alvan appear to recognize G. Done's mystical nature. Gunter's fighting style is simple yet extremely violent. Like Musafar, he is one of the two largest characters in the game. He reappears in a Beats Of Rage mod called Vampire's Rage as an enemy character.
  • Felden: The final boss of the game (excluding Rouwe). He is a being composed of golden flame with a fiery blue crown. When facing Alvan, Felden reveals that he was the one who placed the curse on Alvan's planet.
  • Golden (G.) Done: The amnesiac thug from the planet Mani. Nobody knows much about this street thug character except for Alvin and Gunter, who can apparently sense his mystical nature. Despite his appearance, he desires nothing more than his freedom in peace and is on a self-given mission regarding the reappeared tyrant Felden. In his ending, G. Done is free, but Felden warns him that if he dies, G. Done will be the next.
  • Juri: A female thief from the planet Lezaar that is obsessed with becoming stronger and more beautiful, she despises those she considers ugly. In her ending, Juri, having emerged victorious, reminds the defeated Felden that if he's not strong or beautiful, he will face such consequences. Not only that Juri will be stronger and more beautiful, but good fortune will soon belong to her.
  • Kazuma: "The Raging Storm" who lives in Airrass, the same planet that Rolf lived in. Kazuma travels with Rolf in his adventures throughout the galaxy, looking for powerful warriors, seeking to be stronger and continue with the tradition of the martial arts of his family.
  • Musafar: Musafar is an enormous robot built by the Fakir Empire. His objective is to defeat all the warriors and get their weaknesses so that the Fakir Empire can take over the Galaxy. In his ending, Musafar is about to be picked up by the Fakir Empire, only to ultimately annihilate the messenger. Musafar, having found out that he was captured and converted into a robot tasked to collect and imitate techniques from opponents, wages a personal rebellion against Fakir Empire. Musafar is one of the two largest characters in the game, the other being Gunter.
  • Rolf: The self-proclaimed "Hero of the Galaxy" living in the planet Airrass. He fights in a battle suit that resembles a 20th-century space suit sans helmet, equipped with a short-range flamethrower, jetpack, small energy pistol, and an ear-mounted single-eye visor. In his ending, Felden's defeat avenged the deaths of Caron, Barny and Tetsuya, all three of whom are the deceased friends of Rolf. His vacation was postponed when he hears someone from the sky about a swarm of aliens from the Dinosaur Empire attacking the Feed Star System. Rolf then embarks on a journey in order to protect peace and tranquility on all the planets in the Star System, and teams up with Kazuma and Musafar to battle the aliens.
  • Roomi: Roomi is an alien from the planet Lutecia. She has the special power to sense her opponent's feelings before they attack. She is ditsy, childish girl and her dream is to become popular, like Juri. During the course of the game, Rolf is commissioned by her father to bring her back home. In her ending, she becomes a singer that doubles as a fighter. There is a hack in Sega's Streets Of Rage 2 that has her as a playable character that can be downloaded and played on Sega Genesis emulators.
  • Rouwe: A special boss that appears only if a player beats the game without losing a round. He was apparently responsible for the death of Kazuma's father. His punching bag became the character Bonus-kun and was playable in Waku Waku 7.
  • Yacopu: Yacopu is Rouwe's pet rabbit and the game's midboss, fought before Felden. He originated from the Nintendo Game Boy title, Trip World. He has the ability to shape-shift into whoever he fights against, providing a mirror match.

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 Sunsoft Collection (サンソフトコレクション). 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.

Soundtrack
Galaxy Fight -Universal Warriors-
Soundtrack album by
Masato Araikawa (composer)
Takayuki Sasaki (composer)
Jun Kojime (performer)
ReleasedMarch 17, 1995
RecordedUnknown
GenreVideo game soundtrack
Length51:44
LabelPony 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.

Reception

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.[26] The game received generally positive reception from critics since its release in arcades and other platforms,[17][18][20][27][28] though some criticized the harsh level of difficulty and other design aspects.[24][22] According to Famitsu, the Neo Geo CD version sold over 13,385 copies in its first week on the market.[29]

AllGame's Kyle Knight praised the audiovisual presentation and controls, regarding it as a decent fighting game but stated that "Galaxy Fight's odd borderless gameplay may be its worst enemy, as many gamers will simply find the gameplay too odd and difficult to get used to."[5] Consoles Plus' Richard Homsy commended the visual presentation, gameplay speed, audio and playability.[6] GameFan's four reviewers praised the unique character roster and fighting mechanic, comparing the title's zooming effect with that of Art of Fighting.[7] 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."[9] 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.[10]

MAN!AC's Andreas Knauf criticized the careless techincal presentation, regarding Galaxy Fight as a poor conventional fighitng game lacking in gameplay innovations, though he commended the characters and their special attacks.[11] Mega Fun's 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."[13] Micromanía's 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.[15] Última Generación's Gonzalo Herrero also reviewed the Neo Geo CD version, comparing its space setting with Cosmic Carnage, and praised the audiovisual presentation as well.[25]

The Sega Saturn conversion was met with a more mixed response from reviewers for being a straightfoward conversion of the original arcade game.[12][14][23][30][31][32] 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.[33] GameFan's four reviewers commended it for being a faithful port of the arcade original but criticized the gameplay.[8] 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."[16] In contrast, Player One's Christophe Delpierre gave positive remarks to the Saturn port in regards to audiovisual presentation and gameplay.[19]

Notes
  1. Ported to Sega Saturn by Santaclaus[1]
  2. Japanese: ギャラクシーファイト: ユニバーサル・ウォーリアーズ Hepburn: Gyarakushī Faito: Yunibāsaru U~ōriāzu, also known as Galaxy Fight

References
  1. "ゲーム開発『サンタクロース』について". santaxsanta.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  2. "Galaxy Fight by Sunsoft". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis (65): 80. December 1994.
  3. "Hong Kong, China". Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  4. "ACA NEOGEO GALAXY FIGHT: UNIVERSAL WARRIORS Nintendo Switch". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  5. Knight, Kyle (1998). "Galaxy Fight (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  6. Homsy, Richard (April 1995). "Neo Geo Review - Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors". Consoles + (in French). No. 42. M.E.R.7. p. 108. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  7. Halverson, Dave; Des Barres, Nicholas; Rickards, Kelly (April 1995). "Viewpoint - Galaxy Fight - Neo Geo". GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 4. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 19.
  8. Halverson, Dave; Rickards, Kelly; Des Barres, Nicholas (February 1996). "Viewpoint - In the Hunt - Saturn". GameFan. Vol. 4 no. 2. Metropolis Media. p. 18. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  9. Larry, Scary (June 1995). "ProReview: Neo•Geo - Galaxy Fight". GamePro. No. 71. IDG. p. 74.
  10. Castellote, Javier (August 1995). "Lo Más Nuevo – Neo Geo: Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors – Héroes De Otra Galaxia". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 47. Hobby Press. pp. 86–87.
  11. Knauf, Andreas (April 1995). "Spiele-Tests - NG: Galaxy Fight". MAN!AC (in German). No. 18. Cybermedia. p. 60.
  12. Ehrle, Oliver (April 1996). "Spiele-Tests - Saturn: Galaxy Fight". MAN!AC. No. 30. Cybermedia. p. 73.
  13. Hellert, Stefan (April 1995). "Test Neo Geo: Galaxy Fight". Mega Fun (in German). No. 31. Computec. p. 95. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  14. Harhausen, Björn (March 1996). "Test Saturn: Galaxy Fight". Mega Fun (in German). No. 42. Computec. p. 80. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  15. C.S.G. (November 1995). "Punto De Mira: Galaxy Fight. Universal Warriors - Planetas en lucha (Neo•Geo CD)". Micromanía (in Spanish). Vol. 3 no. 10. HobbyPress. p. 120.
  16. "Every Sega Saturn Game Played, Reviewed, and Rated - Galaxy Fight". Next Generation. No. 25. Imagine Media. January 1997. p. 64.
  17. McFerran, Damien (29 June 2017). "Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo) - In space, no one can hear you yawn". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  18. Delpierre, Christophe (April 1995). "Tests - Neo Geo/Neo Geo CD: Galaxy Fight". Player One (in French). No. 52. Média Système Édition. pp. 92–93.
  19. Delpierre, Christophe (March 1996). "Tests - Saturn: Galaxy Fight". Player One (in French). No. 62. Média Système Édition. p. 95.
  20. Serrano, Roberto (June 1996). "PlayStation a fondo: De Otra Galaxia - Galaxy Fight". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 50. Grupo Zeta. pp. 90–91.
  21. Javier Bautista, Francisco (July 1996). "Saturn a fondo: Galaxy Fight - Una Estrella Caida". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 51. Grupo Zeta. pp. 84–85.
  22. Karels, Ralph (April 1995). "Neo Geo-Reviews: Galaxy Fight". Video Games. No. 41. Future-Verlag. pp. 30–31. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  23. Schaedle, Wolfgang (February 1996). "Sega Saturn - Reviews: Universal Warriors - Galaxy Fight". Video Games (in German). No. 51. Magna Media. p. 80.
  24. Girlich, Stephan (May 1995). "Neo Geo Reviews - Galaxy Fight". Play Time (in German). No. 47. Computec. p. 114. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  25. Herrero, Gonzalo (September 1995). "Versión Final - Neo-Geo CD - Galaxy Fight". Última Generación (in Spanish). No. 6. MV Editores. pp. 88–89.
  26. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 491. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 March 1995. p. 25.
  27. "NF編集部にまる - ネオジオゲームㇱインレビュー: ギャラクシーファイト". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 25. Geibunsha. June 1997. pp. 124–128.
  28. Osange, Elliott (September 9, 2017). "ACA NEOGEO GALAXY FIGHT: UNIVERSAL WARRIORS Review". bonusstage.co.uk. Bonus Stage. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  29. "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  30. "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ギャラクシーファイトユニバーサル・ウォーリアーズ (セガサターン)". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 363. ASCII Corporation. December 1, 1995. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  31. "Sega Saturn Soft Review - ギャラクシーファイト ~ユニバーサル・ウォーリアーズ~". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). No. 12. SoftBank Creative. 1 December 1995. p. 186. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  32. Francis (March 1996). "Zapping - Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors (Saturn Européenne)". Mega Force (in French). No. 48. MegaPress, S.A.R.L. pp. 64–65. Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  33. Dreamcast Magazine (March 2000). セガサターン (Sega Saturn Magazine): 読者レース Final (PDF). サターンのゲームは世界いちぃぃぃ! ~サタマガ読者レース全記録~ (in Japanese). SoftBank Publishing. pp. 8–15. ISBN 978-4-79731173-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
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