Let’s take a nostalgic stroll back to '97, when baggy pants were a fashion statement, and 3D polygons were the cutting edge of video game graphics. ‘Critical Blow’ makes you ask, *what if Tekken had a weird cousin from Japan that insisted on using way too many polygons?* This 3D fighting game makes its debut on the ever-cherished PlayStation, developed by Racdym — the name sounds like a sneeze but they gave us a sequel to the not-so-legendary ‘Genei Tougi: Shadow Struggle’ which didn’t exactly leave a lasting impression.
Prepare yourself for a romp through four distinct gameplay modes: tournament mode, theater mode, VS mode, and a uniquely exciting trading mode! Yes, trading mode — because nothing screams ‘fighting’ more than trading skills like Pokémon trainer cards. Players obsess over customizing their fighters with skills earned from besting not-so-bright AI. The move-set is both a blessing and a curse; while it allows you to mix and match your way to a fighter that could almost hang with the pros, you sometimes wonder if it’s just better to pick the character with the most overpowered moves and just button mash your way through. The game runs steadily at a crisp 60fps, which is great and all until you realize that your friend’s skill at fighting games is basically the equivalent of a toddler hitting buttons at random. The combination of simplistic controls and easy-to-pull-off moves means this game is friendly for newcomers but could leave seasoned players feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Graphically, ‘Critical Blow’ had lofty ambitions for its time. Utilizing the magic of polygons, the characters are rendered in glorious 3D — and when I say glorious, what I mean is they look like a solid attempt at expressing beauty but on a budget, resulting in some oddly textured hair that could probably serve as a sponge in a pinch. The environments are flat in places that may leave you wishing you had taken a different route, but the fundamental 3D design managed to keep things dynamic enough to avoid looking like an empty field or a cardboard cut-out town. And hey, if you squint hard enough through that pixelated fog, you might just see the late '90s glory shining through.
Just like that one friend who always shows up to game night with a game that only they still think is cool, ‘Critical Blow’ is the quirky throwback you didn't want but can't ignore. Players who like a good martial arts story will get a kick out of Rickey Leon’s tale of revenge (and boy does it twist your brain in circles), while on the fighting side of things, it's essentially what RPGs were to tabletop games: familiar, comforting, and instantly appealing to the nostalgic gamer base. All in all, ‘Critical Blow’ is worth checking out if you’re part of the ‘I love obscure games!’ clique, while it might leave others wishing they’d just gone for Tekken 3 instead. It's weirdly charming in its own right, earning a squarely mediocre but endearing 6.5 out of 10. If finding rare gems is your jam, be sure to snag this one — just be prepared to explain what it is to your friends, who will probably think you’ve gone off the deep end!
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