A playthrough of SNK's 1996 Neo Geo dodge ball arcade game, Super Dodge Ball.
Played through as Kunio on difficulty level four.
Super Dodge Ball is one of the lesser-known titles that got a western release on the Neo Geo hardware, and even if it got a very limited production run, the fact that it's so obscure still surprises me - with the exception of possibly Bomberman, Super Dodge Ball represents one of the highest profile franchises not native to SNK platforms to see a release on the Neo Geo.
It was the final game developed by Technos Japan before they went under in the mid-1990s, and it is directly linked to some of their most famous games. It is officially part of the Kunio-kun series (generally referred to as Nekketsu [...] in Japan) that began back in the mid-1980s with the arcade release of Renegade, meaning that it is directly related to not just to Super Dodge Ball arcade/NES game, but also River City Ransom, Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge, Nintendo World Cup, and the Double Dragon games. Oddly enough, Super Dodge Ball on the Neo Geo was also a US arcade-exclusive release - the company folded before any other versions could be produced, and SNK never published it in any other territories.
Such a shame that is, too, because Super Dodge Ball is as good of a sequel as anyone could've ever dreamt of. It's a damned sight better than the (albeit quite good) Dodge Ball games that were later produced under the Kunio-kun label for Nintendo's handhelds under the watch of Million, Atlus, and Arc System Works.
Super Dodge Ball keeps the basic structure of the arcade/NES game while streamlining and updating all of the key components that made the original such a frenetic, multiplayer favorite. You no longer need to bother worrying about formations or controlling a big squad of players: each team now is comprised of only three players, and the roles they each fill are generally decided by each characters' specific abilities and skills, just like you'd find in a team-based fighting game like King of Fighters or SNK vs. Capcom. These teams can be customized over the course of the tournament as well - whenever you beat a team, you get the option to replace one of your current support characters with the defeated team's captain.
The choice of teammates becomes the biggest deciding factor in how you approach these matches - each has their own strengths, weaknesses, and super moves, so it's important to consider how they perform not just on their own, but also how their skillsets compliment those of the other two people on your team. Some are very nimble but lack stopping-power, while others move like molasses but have super-strength, and the rest generally fall somewhere in-between.
Just like the original Super Dodge Ball game, the move-sets are simple but flexible, and the game's flow encourages a lot of experimentation as you figure out what works best for your personal play-style. The standard selection of throws, passes, and catches are all here, in addition to character-specific special attack throws, counterattacks, set-up passes, and full-team desperation moves that become available once your power meter has filled. You can also taunt, feint, and pass to your "out" characters to setup surprise rear-attacks. There's a surprising amount of depth to the system despite it being so easy to pick up and play. Even with so many options at your disposal, the controls are simple and intuitive, and as long as you can pull off a hadouken, you'll do just fine here.
The graphics and sound are, in my opinion, the absolute pinnacle of the Kunio-kun series. While Kunio games are still being produced to this day, they have never again seen the level of quality, flair, or flashiness that they were imbued with here. The character sprites are massive and look like cartoon characters for how colorful, detailed, and loaded with personality they each are. It's really something special to see such iconic characters rendered this way - I'd love so see Renegade updated using these sprites! The animation is flashy and relatively smooth, and it is framed nicely by the constant barrage of explosions, strobing lights, and the Neo Geo's signature screen-scaling effect. It's a beautiful game that takes full advantage of the hardware it was designed for. The soundtrack is also fantastic, and is my favorite of the entire series. Filled with sampled guitars, orchestra hits, and an endless variety of Japanese grunts, screams, and taunts, the audio is just as over-the-top in its enthusiasm as the visual design is, and the music stands out as being just as catchy as anything we ever heard in Double Dragon.
I can't recommend Super Dodge Ball highly enough - I even have it installed in the MVS cabinet I keep in my living room, if that tells you just how much I love it. It's pricey, but if you're a fan of Kunio and company, this is not a game to be missed.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.