STORY:  Pyron invades Earth to add to his collection of planets that he has devoured. Enter the world's most fearsome monsters who, ironically, are the last defense of mankind. Meanwhile, two Darkstalker hunters make their presence known and join in the fray.
 
 

  
REVIEW:  Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge (Vampire Hunter: Darkstalkers Revenge in Japan or known simply as Darkstalkers 2) is the first sequel to Capcom's Darkstalkers series. The new installment brings back the entire cast of the original, and adds 2 all new characters: Donovan Baine & Hsien-Ko. Not only are the newcomers cool designs visually, but in terms of story, the new characters are "hunting" the other Darkstalkers (hence the Japanese title, Vampire Hunter). They also offer really cool and innovative fighting styles, rounding out the Darkstalkers roster gameplay-wise.


The two bosses of the first game (Pyron & Huitzil) are also selectable this time around, making for a total of 4 new playable characters. Along with an improved roster comes an all new presentation that succeeds the first game in almost every way. To sum it up, the amazing hand-drawn backgrounds, awesome & memorable BGMs, and spooky sound effects really immerse you into the Darkstalkers universe. On that note, Night Warriors definitely offers something "unique" in the fighting game genre in more ways than one.
 

  
The key enhancement to the gameplay in this sequel is the ability for players to stock up their Special Gauge, allowing them to store more than one special gauge and preserve them through the entire match. There are two kinds of Super Moves in Night Warriors: "ES Specials" which requires a portion of the Special Gauge, and "EX Specials" which cost the entire stock of the Special Gauge to perform. Player can also choose between a "Normal" gameplay style or one that offers Auto-Blocking.
   

  
Like in the original Darkstalkers, the intuitive 6-button layout and familiar motions for special moves allow any experienced 2D fighting game player to jump right in. The play styles of returning Darkstalkers characters are a little more fleshed out this time around, and overall feel more solid. Each character has something to offer and unlike in some 2D fighting games, all of the characters are very different from one another (no sprite clones!).
 

 
Two secret characters appear in Night Warriors... Shadow and Marionette. Capcom has yet to provide a back story for these secret characters, which are really more a "mode of play" than actual characters. Shadow appears to jump from body to body, allowing you to play as the opponent that was just defeated, and Marionette will fight as a clone of whoever your opponent is. She is seen being lowered into a doll body of the opponent at the beginning of the match.
 

Page Updated: January 1st, 2024 Developer(s): Capcom Publisher(s): Capcom Artwork by: Bengus, Edayan, Daigo Ikeno Platform(s): Arcade, Sega Saturn Release Date(s): 1995      Arcade 1996      Saturn Characters:  Demitri Maximoff, Morrigan Aensland, Donovan Baine, Anita, Hsien-Ko, Felicia, Jon Talbain, Anakaris, Bishamon, Victor, Lord Raptor, Rikuo, Sasquatch, Pyron, Phobos Featured Video: Related Games: Darkstalkers, Vampire Savior, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Darkstalkers: Resurrection, Vampire Chronicle For Matching Service, Warzard, King of Fighters '95, Samurai Shodown 3, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Savage Reign, World Heroes Perfect, Street Fighter Alpha, Marvel Super Heroes, Mortal Kombat 3, Killer Instinct 2, Capcom VS SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Capcom Fighting Evolution, SNK VS Capcom: Match of the Millennium, SNK Vs. Capcom Chaos, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Golden Axe: The Duel, Capcom Fighting Collection    Gameplay Engine  8.0 / 10 Story / Theme  8.5 / 10 Overall Graphics  8.5 / 10 Animation  8.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  9.0 / 10 Innovation  8.0 / 10 Art Direction  9.5 / 10 Customization  7.0 / 10 Options / Extras  7.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  7.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun  7.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  7.0 / 10 Characters  8.5 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  8.4 / 10  Review based on Arcade version       Final Words: Only a year later, and the Darkstalkers series received its first sequel. After the release of Night Warriors, the series was gaining some ground and making a name for itself in a very competitive genre. No doubt the amazing artwork and innovative character designs were the driving force that made this title stand out. While Night Warriors (or as I always called it, Darkstalkers 2) was entertaining & fun 2D fighter for a while, I think the overall gameplay experience was still lacking "something". Of course there's still something to respect about the traditional-esk gameplay system, but in 1995-1996, the fighting genre was really evolving. Blockbusters hits like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and X-Men VS Street Fighter were redefining the 2D genre, and many former 2D games were offering groundbreaking new 3D visual experiences. No doubt Darkstalkers had some tough competition at the time, but on the flipside, Night Warriors definitely stood above some "other" 2D fighting game efforts in 1995. In retrospect, Darkstalkers Revenge definitely earned its place in the genre regardless of its overall popularity. Two years after Night Warriors, the sequel Darkstalkers 3 / Vampire Savior took the series to another level. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for more animated stages! Official posters / promo art / box art / etc! Click Here for all screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES