Nintendo might be dragging its heels when it comes to supporting legacy content, but publisher SNK has been ready and eager to port its back catalog of classic portable titles to Nintendo’s Switch console. What started as a pre-order incentive to grab the belated port of 2019’s Samurai Shodown has now become what SNK is dubbing the “Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection.” Each of the three prior games has been excellent (if a little overpriced), and The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny is no different.
Made available roughly one month ago, the surprise release on the eShop was meant to coincide with the announcement of a character from The Last Blade becoming DLC for the latest Samurai Shodown installment. While we had covered the news previously, some hiccups in scheduling prevented me from taking a look at this sooner. Regardless, we’re here now and I can easily recommend this quirky adaptation of the main series if you’re into weapon-based fighters.
Not changing much from what has worked before, this latest Neo Geo Pocket conversion includes all of the same features as SNK’s other attempts. You have graphical filters, borders that mimic the look of the handheld, and the ability to play multiplayer either in portable mode with a vertical split or in docked mode like a traditional console fighter. It’s a robust package that makes the $7.99 price tag a little bit easier to swallow.
The biggest difference with the actual game is that The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny is more fleshed out than prior Neo Geo Pocket Color fighters. You’re still going to find a traditional arcade ladder and versus modes, but this game contains some fun little mini-games that help distract some simply clashing swords with your foes. Not only that, but a series of credits you accumulate from playing every mode allows you to unlock concept art and endings in a gallery, giving you more reason to engage with its various options.
That’s not to say this is the definitive installment in the Last Blade series. In fact, the infinitely superior Neo Geo MVS title The Last Blade 2 is also available on the eShop, albeit without fun things like an arcade border or unlockable extras. Just like before, your desire to grab this title is going to hinge on whether or not you enjoy SNK’s cartoony demakes that it pushed out on its ill-fated portable device.
For what it’s worth, I do feel the Beyond the Destiny holds more merit than the other games available in this lineup. While Samurai Shodown! 2 has some novelty, it does belong to a series that hasn’t been long abandoned by SNK. The latest installment renewed interest in the brand and has continued to push it well beyond its summer 2019 release. That same statement can be applied to King of Fighters R-2, which belongs to a brand that is hardly going anywhere. The Last Blade, on the other hand, only has three games in total (excluding a pachislot machine).
Because of that, it becomes a much easier prospect to recommend as SNK hasn’t been in a rush to recreate or reboot this franchise. There’s definitely some interest, as evidenced by the Samurai Shodown crossover DLC yet to come, but even the main two titles don’t offer exactly the same experience as this entry.
This might sound a bit rushed, but there really isn’t much else to say that hasn’t been written about the previous Neo Geo Pocket Color ports. SNK has nailed the formula and is providing the best version of these handheld games yet. It would be nice to see some kind of compilation package, but even without it, the piecemeal release structure suits people that may only want one or two games. That they offer an excellent time is just icing on the cake.
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