While I’ve had a great time with quite a number of fighters over the years, they’ve also never really been my thing. I’ve found that with that genre you’re either a newbie, semi-casual, or you really need to go all-in, and that’s typically only over one or two specific series rather than being a generalist. I’m definitely in the semi-casual camp, having played and enjoyed multiple series and offshoots but never having the time to really dig into them. As you may have guessed then, my bar for enjoyment in the genre isn’t about the heavily technical side, honestly it’s more geared towards the potential for pick-up-and-play fun, without losing focus on character and move set variety.

That really made Rage of the Dragons NEO an unusual title for me, as it pretty quickly made it clear it wasn’t a game intended for casuals. It no doubt has a great look for its time, some diverse character designs, and plenty of potential to be tapped, but it also didn’t feel like something I could jump into and have success with. In particular, even on the base skill setting the CPU was absolutely not just lighting me up, but clearly demonstrating that there’s depth in the game. The combos it was pulling off were quite devastating and long, giving me my first glimpse at my struggles being a “me problem” more than anything else.

Reading up about the game, my hitting the wall didn’t seem like much of a surprise, as by all accounts this is one of those fighters where the results must be earned. Combos obviously play a major role in play, and with some practice and skill you can pull off some devastating ones. To that end, the game has a pretty extensive and helpful training mode, as well as on-screen move charts if you’d like them. Of course, you also have the option to take things online if you’d like to get a proper beating, or give a proper beatdown if you’re already acquainted with it.

That makes this title a mix of good and bad news. If you’re already a fan, or are a fighting junkie who loves to dig into deeper play, this may well be a perfect release. If, however, you’re more of a casual fighting fan this is a fair warning. Yes, all good fighters have some degree of depth that you’ll need to invest some time in to truly begin to tap, but this is clearly a title designed to push you further than most, for better or worse.