This Rage of the dragons NEO review is played and tested on Xbox Series X. It is available for €/$ 19,99. The game is also available on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.
Widely considered one of the hardest NEO GEO fighting games, Rage of the Dragons (2002) has always been a bit of an enigma. Released at the tail end of SNK’s arcade and home console popularity, it never truly stuck in the collective memory of the gaming masses. At least, not as much as King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, or its closest cousin, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Now, 22 years later, Piko Interactive has picked up the license for this long-dormant title and handed it over to retro emulation specialists QUByte Interactive for a freshened-up re-release, which gets a slightly altered title, Rage of the Dragons NEO.
QUByte
If you search “retro-like” with the keyword QUByte, you’ll find plenty of reviews and articles. Especially within our corner of the video game scene, the Brazilian company has been extremely productive, with some solid releases. Their reliable emulation engine has powered numerous projects, like the Top Racer and Visco collections. So, it’s no surprise QUByte was tasked with handling Rage of the Dragons NEO.
I’m a bit puzzled, though, that SNK didn’t opt to exploit the game themselves. Instead, they licensed it out to Piko Interactive, despite SNK’s resurgence and their active reboots of franchises left and right.
This might be due to Rage of the Dragons’ niche appeal. Developed by Mexican second-party studio Evoga in 2002, the game was a late release and a new IP that slipped by largely unnoticed. Even among NEO GEO platform fanatics, it’s recognized as a very good fighting game and a cult classic in competitive gaming circles.
Nicely Packed
Like other publishers such as Digital Eclipse and Aspyr, QUByte Interactive has nailed a formula for reinvigorating games like this one. These are titles you’d typically find in platform or publisher collections, but here, they’ve been given standalone releases, complete with added features, a tidy user interface, and quality-of-life improvements. Its template fits Rage of the Dragons very well. Apart from building an interface around the original Arcade game, it most redeeming addition is to tweak the difficulty to your liking. Something I will address later on in this review. Also included are options to tweak the emulation itself, with filters and even an option to display the movelist on screen while playing. Extremely useful when trying to nail new characters.
Netcode
Very significant, too, is that QUByte has added solid rollback netcode alongside a comprehensive matchmaking and lobby system. I participated in the netcode beta test and found the online mode to be rock solid, with steady connections across a dozen matches—from Brazil to Sweden and Russia—without hiccups. Unfortunately, as with many similar games lacking cross-play, the lobbies are mostly empty now that the game is out, which is a real shame.
Game Modes
In addition to online features, the game includes the classic Arcade and VS modes. A nice touch is the ability to extend tag teams to five players per side in VS mode. Another clever QUByte addition is the Challenges mode, essentially a Survival mode divided into chapters with increasing difficulty. This offers a welcome layer of variety for what is predominantly a single-player experience.
Tag Team Gameplay
Rage of the Dragons is tag-team fighting at its core. You choose two characters from a roster of 14 fighters hailing from around the world. While certain characters have canonical pairings, you’re free to mix and match as you like. Each team gets its own stage.
During battles, you can switch characters mid-fight, similar to King of Fighters or the Capcom vs. series. The game also introduces the Duplex mechanic: a sequence of button inputs following a successful attack triggers a chain combo that deals significant damage to your opponent. A successful Duplex attack calls your partner onto the screen, and chaining another special move activates a powerful team attack.
Another cool feature is the option to surrender one of your characters, transferring their remaining health to the other character while filling the Maximum Meter to its five-bar limit. The Maximum Meter is used for executing Super Moves. Beyond that, the gameplay will feel familiar if you’re accustomed to NEO GEO fighters.
Relentless
Let’s not mince words—Rage of the Dragons is relentless. While it does have difficulty settings, even at level 3 (easy), the CPU’s ferocious aggression barely gives you room to execute meaningful strategies. The further you progress, the more you’ll resort to chipping away at enemies’ health and surviving by the skin of your teeth.
The AI’s programming feels unfair at times, capable of executing complex combos under pressure without missing a beat. It seems to ignore execution timing altogether, instantly triggering combos or specials whenever a frame of opportunity arises. While easier settings make the AI slightly more vulnerable, it still punishes mistakes mercilessly once it corners you.
Despite the frustration, I find myself coming back, determined to counter its oppressive tactics. Somewhere in this punishing difficulty lies the key to getting gud. As long as the difficulty is adjustable, I can accept it—but setting it two steps down still feels like a concession, especially with 30 years of fighting game experience under my belt.
A Hardcore Opportunity
This game has long been a favorite in the competitive scene, and once you break through its steep learning curve, its tag-team gameplay and super combo mechanics shine. Rage of the Dragons NEO caters far more to hardcore fighting game fans than casual players, which is fine. Not every game needs to be accessible to everyone.
I Like the Sound of That
The game looks and sounds great, with a diverse cast of characters that strike a balance between being memorable and grounded. Cassandra, Lynn, Pupa, and Pepe are my personal favorites. While it has its fair share of early-2000s flair—which can be hit-or-miss—the in-game aesthetic resonates with me in the same way as Last Blade and later Samurai Shodown titles, though it doesn’t quite reach the heights of SNK vs. Capcom or Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
The soundtrack is more subdued compared to the bombastic, distinctly Japanese compositions of King of Fighters 2002 or the SNK vs. games. Personally, I prefer this more grounded musical approach, though I’m not rushing to hunt down a vinyl copy (if it even exists).
Conclusion
In hindsight, it’s easy to see why Rage of the Dragons slipped through the cracks. SNK was releasing iconic titles during the NEO GEO’s twilight years. By 2002, King of Fighters 2002 was arguably the franchise’s peak, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos was pioneering crossovers, and Garou: Mark of the Wolves had perfected the 1v1 fighter. Even earlier games like Last Blade and Waku Waku 7 stood out with a more unique production or gameplay style that Rage of the Dragons doesn’t quite match. While other titles have historically had more mainstream attraction, Dragons on the surface feels like middle of the road fighter with extreme difficulty, but when the smoke clears and a wax on, wax off mentality to get the tag team mechanics down, it will undoubtedly bloom into the one of the greater fighters available. I have to skill to see the blooming potential greatness, but lack the skill to really unlock it.
Rage of the Dragons NEO offers genre fans a chance to rediscover a cult classic with a fresh coat of polish and some excellent quality of life features. If you’re up for a challenge, Rage of the Dragons NEO is more than worth the fight. The casual fighting gamer may be better off with other newly released fighters like Pocket Bravery or find out ways to play more mainstream NEO GEO offerings like Garou: Mark of the Wolves or one of King of the Fighters games.
The good
- Looks and animates as good as other late NEO GEO fighting games
- Deep and layered tag team gameplay
- Full of gameplay and QoL features
- Very tuneable to the players liking
The bad
- Unrelentless difficulty
- Empty online lobbies
- Not for casual players
