Do you remember the trend in the mid 90s where games included a ‘big head mode?’ I sure do. Back then I was young enough that I found the trend hilarious. I loved it. Have I ever thought that this feature should be a standalone game? In short, no. This is the idea Sega had however with Virtua Fighter Kids. Personally I think this game came to be just to fill out their release schedule. Based on Virtua Fighter 2 this ‘kids’ edition gave us big headed characters duking it out with the same combat system but with a new over-the-top flair. Was it enough to justify an entirely new release or should this have just been a feature of the game it’s based on? Let’s take a look.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Virtua Fighter Kids is mostly a re-skin of Sega’s first sequel to their big fighting game. For better or worse this isn’t an entirely new game. The good news is that the title it’s based on is amazing. I’m just not sure that big heads and kid bodies is something that fans of the franchise ever asked for.
Like the game it’s based on there’s virtually no story here. We just have characters, but this time they’re kids. Well, sort of. While their bodies are shrunk and heads enlarged they still have features of their adult counterparts. I’m talking facial hair, muscles, and specific aspects of the female anatomy. It’s a little disturbing at first but once you get past the shock it’s actually hilarious. Now are some extra guffaws really worth the price of an entirely different game? Not really, but there’s more to it than that.
Virtua Fighter Kids like it’s contemporary is a 3D fighter. Characters are rendered entirely in polygons as is the terrain. Oddly enough there’s no sidestep button (which was the norm for 3D fighters from this generation) and you can only move towards and away from your foe. Virtua Fighter Kids is based more in reality just like the second installment. This means you won’t be throwing fireballs or making sonic booms with your fists. Instead the combat is based on real world martial arts with punches, kicks, and grapples comprising the majority of your offensive prowess.
Each character does have special moves, but these are more subtle. Basically you have to figure out which strikes overcome attacks from your foes and counter appropriately. While the game is easy to jump into combat is deceptively deep. Button mashing will only get you so far in this franchise, and the same holds true with Virtua Fighter Kids. Inexperienced gamers will almost always lose against those that have spent time with the mechanics. That’s the sign of a truly good fighter, and honestly, Virtua Fighter Kids is one.
The real question is whether or not this game is worth owning for those that already have Virtua Fighter 2. Regardless of intention the two directly compete with one another. The short answer is no. There are some distinct differences in gameplay that are very noticeable for fans of the franchise. The most basic of these comes with the territory of having children versions of the characters as fighters. Punches and kicks don’t have the same reach that they do in Virtua Fighter 2. This sounds like a subtle change but the dynamics are changed significantly. You have to be closer to strike your foe and I noticed there’s more reaction as well to hits.
These elements may sound insignificant but in a fighter as technical as this it can make a world of difference. Honestly Virtua Fighter Kids feels less polished and well rounded than part 2 did. Limitations in range changed how I played the game in several instances. It takes some getting used to. Unfortunately the bad and awkward mechanics of Virtua Fighter 2 haven’t been improved on here. Namely I’m referring to the floaty physics. They’re actually a bit worse here because the characters are so much smaller. Jumps feel like you’re on the moon and it just feels unrealistic. There’s still no reason your characters should have this much airtime.
Aside from the aforementioned nuances this is basically Virtua Fighter 2. All of the characters’ moves remain intact, and the combos (as well as the counters) pretty much all work the same. While gameplay hasn’t necessarily been sped up due to the fact that you must be closer to your foe to strike matches are generally shorter. Having put countless hours into Virtua Fighter 2 I expected this to play mechanically identical, but that wasn’t the case. I had to basically re-learn the functions of some of the special moves. I prefer the base game to be honest, and didn’t feel like putting in the same kind of time and energy into learning this Kids edition.
Sega included a fair amount of content in this disc but for the most part it’s all what you would expect from a fighting game of this generation. There’s arcade mode where you face off against each character one by one and are awarded a brief ending sequence after taking them all down. You also have ranking mode which is largely the same, but here you’re competing to get a high score. Multiplayer mode of course makes it’s return. It’s fun to face off against another player, but again, I’d rather be doing so in the base version of Virtua Fighter 2.
Virtua Fighter Kids also comes with some new features. Unfortunately Sega missed a golden opportunity to shoehorn in one or two new fighters, and instead we’re left with the same basic cast as the last title. What is new however is that upon starting you can select between normal and kids modes. Normal uses the standard Virtua Fighter mechanics, and those familiar with fighters will want to stick with this. Kid mode makes the game more accessible to newcomers. It simplifies the more complicated special moves into mere button presses, and allows you to occasionally automatically dodge attacks. It’s a nice feature, but unless you’re a kid yourself it’s best to stick to normal.
There’s also a new mode where you can experiment with combos and set them to button presses. It’s kind of neat, but again aimed mostly as beginner players. That makes it more welcome in a ‘kids’ version but it’s not something those who’ve spent any time with Virtua Fighter 2 will bother with. Aside from that new full motion videos have been implemented. Among these the very best one is the intro in my opinion. I was left with a smile on my face watching the old characters interacting with the new ones during this scene. I found it to be pretty charming.
Virtua Fighter 2 was an absolute powerhouse when it came to graphics. It was one of the very best looking 32-bit games of its generation with an absurdly high resolution (for the time), fantastic character models, and an insane framerate. Virtua Fighter Kids is based off the same engine. It runs well and looks great, but the character models are off-putting. I know, it comes with the territory of the chibi designs but it’s still a complaint. I do like that the developers altered the arena graphics as well to make them more ‘cute.’ You’ll see what I mean. They did the same thing with the soundtrack and voice samples. Everything is more cutesy, and I actually really liked the music here.
