Yasuyuki Oda Talks His Favorite Team In Kizuna Encounter Super Tag Battle

SNK has been on a roll lately with their classic catalogue: just weeks earlier saw the re-release of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 on PC, and now they're following it up with Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle. 

Despite the sudden barrage of tag fighters in the market, SNK Studios Vice President Yasuyuki Oda says that the re-release of Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle was more about paying homage to SNK's lesser known foray into tag fighters than chasing the trend. 

"KIZUNA ENCOUNTER: SUPER TAG BATTLE was a hidden gem we wanted to bring to the latest gaming generation to be rediscovered and enjoyed by younger audiences as well", he affirms. 

Instead, he said it was more about showcasing just how integral SNK was to the arcade era of fighting games, particularly with their character designs and visuals./ 

"SNK did play a major role in making the 1990s the so-called "Golden Era" of fighting games via creating countless iconic fighting franchises with charismatic characters, impressive visuals, unique gameplay, catchy soundtracks, and more memorable features that definitely deserve to return today", he says. 

The Charms of Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle

With regards to Super Tag Battle specifically, he also highlighted the game's particular unique quirk among SNK titles: a combo structure more similar to the gatlings you'd see in later anime titles. 

"We believe that allowing players to be creative with their combos is very important as every fighting player is different, and I am sure the same characters in KIZUNA ENCOUNTER will be played in various ways depending on players' fighting style, strategies, etc".

He also shared his own love for the game by highlighting his favorite team. Unsurprisingly, the SNK boss would pick an SNK boss in his roster: 

"I really like teaming King Lion (and his iconic "Dynamite!" voiceline) with Kim for spectacular and flashy combos", he says. 

Given that the Internet speeds up the rate at which information previously only spread via rumors at arcades proliferates, I had to ask an important question: was he secretly hoping for more Kizuna tech almost 30 years later. His answer, of course, did not disappoint:

"Definitely. Thanks to how easy it is nowadays to exchange and share information about video games through social media and the like, we’re looking forward to potentially seeing new tech for KIZUNA ENCOUNTER pop up in the coming days!" 

Featuring a 4-player mode, rollback netcode and a practice mode for all the lab monsters out there, Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle is available now. If you're an arcade buff, you'll want to relive some core memories with this one.