Forgotten Japanese title ready to throw down once more
It’s a new year, and Hamster are already continuing their pledge to re-release hundreds of arcade classics on modern platforms. This week sees the return of a particularly obscure SNK title, Ragnagard, which has been dusted off for the Nintendo Switch.
Originally released back in arcades back in 1996, eventually being ported to the Neo Geo and – in Japan – the Sega Saturn, Ragnagard features typical chaotic one-on-one fighting action starring a cast of Shinto-style deities. Featuring rendered sprites, Ragnagard has a stylised look and features gameplay not dissimilar to SNK’s own Samurai Shodown series.
Unfortunately, Ragnagard’s unique look does not automatically translate into exciting fighting action. Characters are sluggish, with bad attack animations that leads to laboured gameplay. Special effects are vulgar and distracting, while the sound is repetitious. Ragnagard has an admitted uniqueness in the ’90s fighter market, but it is more a curiosity, than anything that needs modern day re-appraisal.
Ragnagard is available to download now on Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8. It will also launch on PS4 and Xbox One on January 10.
