Arcade Archives: Street Smart

[tepidsnake]

This week's Arcade Archives release is... Street Smart (SNK, 1989)

No Switch 2 version for this game!

As a remnder, this game is also available on SNK 40th Anniversary Collection by Digital Eclipse on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and Steam, with the PS4 and Switch versions also getting physical releases that you can get second-hand.

Only the Japanese ROM is included, although as far as I can tell the only differences are the Winners Don't Do Drugs screen and removal of Japanese text on the title screen. Preference Settings allow players to play on the Player 2 side, allowing easy access to Wrestler as a solo player.

Across the USA, street-fightin' men are getting ready for the big championship! 8 cities are hosting the bouts with their own fight queens to congratulate the winner, with two of the top contenders, Karate Man (P1) and Wrestler (P2), in fighting form! These pugilists know what they're doing, with powerful punches, crushing kicks and even backlips and somersaults to get out of harm's way quickly! They even move up and down the boxed-in arena to keep their opponents on their toes! As promising as they are, the competition is fierce, with some hulking competitors out there, waiting to become the king of the hill, and this year the action's even hotter as Karate Man and Wrestler can work together to fight two opponents at once, a real tag match! They'll even fight each other afterwards to see who's the toughest of the two! Only one can be the champion, though... Can they prove that they're really... Street Smart?! Medical services provided by SNK Ambulance Services, Co., with Dr. Nak Oruru and Nurse Rim Ururu tending to the wounded (well, they can't help with wounded pride!)

The SNK fighting game lineage begins with this game, one of their final releases alongside games like Beast Busters and SAR - Search & Rescue before the launch of the Neo Geo. Combining the one-on-one (or two-on-two with two players fighting two opponents) fighting of Street Fighter with the belt-scroll movement of Double Dragon, you've got a bit more freedom of movement than in later fighting games, allowing you to escape a little, plus the backflip helps you get out of a sticky situation quickly. That said, the way your character moves forward with most moves performed far away from your opponent is very strange and takes some getting used to, but if you're close enough, you'll throw out different moves that keep your stationary. The conventions of fighting games hadn't been set in stone just yet, so this is more of a boss rush with lives, non-recovering health between matches and unique opponents to fight.

To be honest, it's one I've never really been able to get into because of the strange way it feels, but there are definitely ways to play the game better than me! It certainly has charm though, with that distinctive '80s SNK look to it, an energetic soundtrack, some extremely loud and satisfying sound effects and the SNK AMBULANCE showing up to pick up the loser after bouts! Contrary to popular belief, there's no story ties to other SNK games, so no, you're not playing as Takuma Sakazaki. There are some connective threads though, as the first stage theme from Street Smart is remixed for the two-player battle theme in Fatal Fury, and the strange two player system- where players fight against the computer first then against each other- appears in both games (although in Fatal Fury, both players fight one opponent at once). One for those who want to explore the history of early fighting games for sure, although again, it's on SNK 40th Anniversary Collection- this version does have the advantage of being able to play as Wrestler easier, though.