Developed by SNK in 1992, Art of Fighting is a pioneering action-fighting game that brought massive character sprites and heavy strikes to the SNES. Set in the gritty streets of South Town, you control martial artists Ryo Sakazaki or Robert Garcia on a mission to rescue Ryo’s kidnapped sister, Yuri, from a local criminal syndicate.
How to play
The goal is to deplete your opponent’s health bar in best-of-three matches. What sets the combat apart is the Spirit Gauge located just below your health. Performing special moves depletes this meter, and attacks become significantly weaker when it is empty. This forces a more deliberate pace where spacing, timing, and resource management matter more than button mashing.
| Gamepad control: | |
| direction buttons | ââââ |
| action button A | Z |
| action button B | X |
| action buttons X, Y | A, S |
| shoulder buttons L, R | Q, E |
| SELECT | Shift |
| START | Enter |
Tips
- Manage your Spirit Gauge: Do not exhaust your energy early in the round. You can hold down an attack button to manually recharge your gauge, but it leaves you completely vulnerable to strikes.
- Use taunts strategically: Taunting drains your opponent’s Spirit Gauge. The safest time to do this is immediately after knocking them down, limiting their ability to retaliate with special moves when they stand back up.
- Desperation attacks: If your health drops to the flashing red zone, you can execute a devastating hidden super move, provided your Spirit Gauge is full.
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