Art of Fighting

SNK's 1992 Neo Geo MVS debut pioneered the consumable spirit gauge and dynamic camera zoom in competitive fighting games. Kyokugenryu karate practitioners Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia plunge into South Town's criminal underworld to rescue Ryo's kidnapped sister Yuri from crime boss Mr. Big and the mysterious masked fighter Mr. Karate. Special moves drain the spirit gauge, which players can replenish with a dedicated charge command; repeated hits visibly swell and bloody characters' faces, while the camera zooms dynamically based on the distance between fighters. Art of Fighting laid the foundation for the shared South Town universe connecting it to Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters.