SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy DLC Character Review

With the release of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, we knew we were going to be receiving extra fighters sooner or later. Anything to really explore with these DLC fighters? We get Thief Arthur, Skullo Mania, and MissX respectively. Each one releasing within a month of each other. So how does this enhance our gameplay experience? Does it enhance it at all? As you may know my previous review of the game as a whole was below average. It was lacking the amount of fighters, artwork, and modes that previous fighting games were known for. It lacked any real semblance of story, no change in narrative towards where the story was even going. It was just a disappointing title, especially as some of my favorite all-time fighting games are King of Fighters games. Aside from this, let's take a look at the characters, both in design and style of fighting

Starting this off, we must say that these characters were what was needed with this game. These should have been added from the beginning, not released as paid DLC. It makes the game itself a little better, but the story mode is still the exact same, with only dialog/monologue changes. There is enough variety from each that feels as if they cater towards specific people. Thief Arthur feels like the more overpowered character of the three, able to use aerial and ground physical attacks. Skullo Mania feels fluid and fast, with physical attacks and a slide-kick that feels slightly overpowered. Miss X was probably one of the weaker characters, being this slow, big, hulk of a person who didn't seemed as if they did more damage than average. That could just be perception though.

Overall, what makes them distinct is character design and different styles of attacks. With Thief Arthur you get to juggle your opponent in the air and use most attacks while still airborne. This is one of those overpowered combos, specifically for this game because most others have more simple ones to pull off. She uses a dagger as her primary weapon. That's mostly it. Her design still looks gorgeous! It's pretty typical of fan service games or anime to have similar outfits, but the colors really stand out. Still, this is probably middle of the spectrum when it comes to being my favorite of the three. If they leveled the playing field a bit by tweaking other characters in the roster to compensate, Thief Arthur would be perfect.

Skullo Mania is possibly my favorite fighter out of this game. She adds some flare to a few of her attacks which kind of make her stand out. What really makes her stand out for me is her outfit. It's just a simple Halloween skeleton suit with a red scarf, but somehow really works for this character. Skullo's suit somehow makes her feel more alive, sometimes showing more expression than her fellow fighters. Her attacks are mostly made into grounded, physical attacks. She had a slide-kick that feels overpowered, since it's rare that anything aside from an item was able to counter it. A great character, but I don't know if it's still worth the price tag. (We will get to this soon!).

MissX is a slow, hulky character. The school girl outfit is a nice touch, with the red hair and a mask covering a part of their face. However, the rest of the character is something to be desired. It could just be my own particular play style, as my characters tend to be fast. This one feels real slow and seems a little odd nonetheless. MissX looks bigger than most the fighters, so it would stand to reason the character does significantly more damage with each punch or kick. That's just my thought. Maybe they do and it's not that noticeable.


Let's talk about what these are. The base game shipped with a disappointing amount of content that would have kept player's interest. This is from the low amount of fighters, to the amount of artwork you're able to unlock, to even the amount of accessories. These new fighters add to it, but it feels as if they were made specifically with being special in mind. There is no problem with that, but when the game itself focuses on the “simple” aspect and you get characters with better move sets, it's frustrating. The only exception is MissX, but she's not a terrible character and her moves actually work well with what we were given initially between the base roster.

Another problem, is the fact that developers merely added different color variants for in-game purchases for outfits. There is no real money ever exchanging hands, but it's a real wasted opportunity. The only real difference in outfits is with MissX, where they get 3 outfits, instead of 2. Yes, the other 2 characters only get 2 outfits each. At the very least, the MissX 2nd outfit is not a bad choice, there just should have been more added to these DLC characters.


Does the price match the DLC? No, unfortunately it doesn't. Priced at $4.99 per character with no option to bundle, they are not worth the price tag. For the price of all three, it's possible to get good full-length games. Maybe at a quarter of the price, I could recommend them. Even bundled together at the $4.99 price, it's a stretch. However, there is no denying these characters should have been included upon release. If not, then should be placed as free DLC to entice others to keep playing, or even purchase the game, if they haven't already done so. Even Dead or Alive, which is made to be a cash grab, has a better base roster with a better bundle (only good when on sale). Sadly, this leads to our final verdict. We have to rate DLC a little more different here, since it is supposed to be an extension of the current game.

As a fan of King of Fighters, there is always this lingering feeling to want to give high marks. Only when a game is good though. If you love a game to death and back, you also have to weigh in the flaws. Unfortunately, this game doesn't hit many, if any, of those high marks. The game is fun, and these characters add a bit to that experience. For a game focusing on the “Heroines” aspect, it really breaks my heart not seeing some characters from previous games added to the list. This includes Angel, King, and Alice. Maybe a small end credit cameo appearance made, but there is still this feeling of so much potential with this game. It's even possible to re-imagine the dinosaur from KoF XIV as a female character here. With that in mind, it pains me to reach this conclusion...

-JT

For More Info On SNK Heroines & The DLC Options:
nisamerica.com/games/snk-heroines/

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Characters: B
Designs: B
Content: D-
Value: D-

Final Verdict: D

Pros:
+ Great characters to play.
+ Designs look great.

Cons:
- Should have been included into the base game.
- Little value in the pricing of each character.
- 2 of the 3 characters feel largely overpowered.

On a side note: Pick up King of Fighters XIV instead, it is a much stronger game. You will certainly have a lot more fun!

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Disclaimer: This visual novel was provided to us by the publisher for the purpose of this review.