Rage of the Dragons NEO Review (Switch)

Do you like fighting games? Are you nostalgic for the NEO-GEO? Then Rage of the Dragons NEO might be for you. With so many fighting games coming out in the past few years, it’s hard to keep up with them all. So, we’ll help you decide whether or not it is worth it.

We’ll be breaking this review up between what the game has going for it and what might be hindering it so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this game is for you.

The good

We’ll start by discussing what the game did well. I would like to preface this section by saying that I am very glad this game has been brought to modern consoles. Video game preservation has become a major concern in the past few years, so seeing these old games being brought to modern consoles for new players to enjoy is nice to see.

The first thing I really liked was the gameplay. The game is relatively smooth to play, though it’s definitely not the best. The gameplay’s main draw, however, is the sheer variety of what the player can do. There are, of course, many different moves that players can utilize in order to perform numerous combos. There are several other things, however, that the player can do. First impact allows the player to blitz their opponent and hit them with a set of inputs. There’s also the surrender mechanic, which enables the player to sacrifice their current fighter to rejuvenate their other fighter. Both of these mechanics help to make the game stand out from other fighting games and give players plenty of options during a match. 

The inclusion of online is a great addition to the game. It lets players play with others worldwide, helping to grow the game’s competitive scene. The game also has rollback netcode, providing an even better online experience. 

My favorite aspect of the game, however, is the roster of characters. There’s a wide variety of characters that players can choose from, with each one having a unique skill set. Besides the variety in the characters, I really like their designs. I think they’re unique and help to give the game some personality. Even if they aren’t the most iconic characters from the NEO-GEO, they’re still pretty cool.

The bad

There were also quite a few things about this game that I didn’t like. Firstly, the game is far from beginner-friendly. Now, the game doesn’t necessarily have to be easy, but it was extremely frustrating to play against the CPUs. Now, I’m no fighting game expert, but I’ve had so much trouble fighting the lowest-level CPUs. I don’t mind having some challenge in a video game, but when even the lowest-level CPU is impossible to beat, it’s hard to have any degree of fun. Similar games, such as King of Fighters XIII, are far easier to get started in and have very similar mechanics. All in all, I think the game is a little too hard and frustrating for new players, and while not a completely bad thing, toning down the difficulty and aggressiveness of the lower-level CPUs wouldn’t be a bad idea.

While I am glad they included the online, it’s held back by the lack of cross-play. This really hinders online play and makes it extremely difficult to find a match. I wasn’t able to find a match at all, which renders the mode pretty much useless. I think adding crossplay should be a priority as it would allow players to find matches more easily and connect players of all systems.

The game is also lacking in content. There aren’t many modes in the game for players to play. There’s the arcade mode, which is cool, along with the Dragon’s Challenge, which is a nice challenge for players to take on. But other than the standard versus and training modes, there isn’t much else to do. You can listen to the game’s soundtrack, but there isn’t a gallery, which is disappointing. This wouldn’t be much of an issue… if it wasn’t for the game’s price.

This game is far too overpriced. I would be more forgiving of the lack of content if the game was $10… but the game is $20. For what’s in the game, this is far from a worthwhile price. For the same money, you could buy King of Fighters XIII, which is not only similar in terms of gameplay but also has more content overall. It also goes on sale for cheap, so you can get the game cheaper than Rage of the Dragons NEO. If the game was less expensive, it would be easier to recommend. As it stands, however, the price is simply too high for me to recommend this game in good conscience.

Final thoughts

Overall, Rage of the Dragons NEO is an interesting and unique game in many ways. That said, however, the lack of content combined with the game’s price makes it a hard recommendation. The characters and the gameplay are cool, but they aren’t enough to justify the value of the game. Now, if you are a fan of old NEO-GEO fighting games like King of Fighters, this game might be right up your alley. If you can find this game on sale, it’s worth checking out. Otherwise, I would not recommend the game. Plenty of other fighting games are more beginner-friendly and have way more content than Rage of the Dragons NEO, such as The King of Fighters XIII or any of the Capcom Fighting Collections. But if the game is at a discounted price and seems interesting to you, it’s worth giving it a try.

Rage of the Dragons NEO is available now on Nintendo Switch, Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.