Relive Darkstalkers history in Capcom Fighting Collection, out June 24 – PlayStation.Blog

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Vampires, robots, fighters, oh my! Capcom Fighting Collection brings together 10 head-to-head arcade classics to PlayStation with extra features and online play for all games with rollback netcode!

With Capcom Fighting Collection, we aim to offer you new ways to experience some of our beloved fighting games. For some of you, it might be your first chance to play titles like Red Earth or Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness. Others will take pride in dominating online rankings of the classic Hyper Street Fighter II or even the more lighthearted Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo.

That’s five games out of 10 so far… so what are the other five? Darkstalkers! That’s right–this will be our most comprehensive Darkstalkers compilation yet, featuring two titles previously exclusive to Japan.

Ready to relive Darkstalkers history? If you’re a longtime fan, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and remember what got this series its classic status. And if you’re new to Darkstalkers, let me give you a taste of what makes this magical fighting game series so special.

The world of Darkstalkers

While Street Fighter is a bit closer to home, the Darkstalkers series invites you to explore much darker themes. Your adventures will be centered around impending doom, ranging from protecting Earth from a fiery alien to facing off a demon lord in a conjured dimension.

These outlandish scenarios come with a variety of eye-catching backdrops. One time, you’ll be fighting in a dark alley in England while the next battle might be in a vast Egyptian desert. And of course, the epic showdown against the aforementioned demon lord will take place in his very own demon realm.

The characters of Darkstalkers

At this point, it should be no surprise the cast of Darkstalkers comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and species. You may have even seen the succubus Morrigan Aensland and the vampire Demitri Maximoff making appearances in other Capcom games. Besides these two, you can expect to clash swords with the accursed samurai Bishamon, wrestle with the bigfoot Sasquatch, get tied up with the mummy Anakaris, and fight/play as a variety of esoteric characters inspired by classic monsters and folklore. 

Naturally (or supernaturally), each character boasts unique powers and abilities. Without getting into gameplay specifics just yet, I recommend taking the time to play around with each warrior if only to marvel at the flashy animations that come with each special move. Whether it’s the subtle transformations of Donovan Baine’s sword, Rikuo dynamically stretching its skin or B. B. Hood using her explosive arsenal with reckless abandon, each animation was made with special care to look stylish and add to the frantic pace of the fights.

The gameplay of Darkstalkers

Since we’re dialing everything up to 11 anyway, of course the gameplay has to be wild too! The fights in Darkstalkers also take things up a notch or two thanks to the combo systems and the characters’ fast-paced movement options. Some warriors can dash quickly around the stage, while others have multiple jumps or even the ability to run in the air. This added mobility combined with wild special moves makes each match as chaotic and frenetic as ever.

And that’s not all! In the later games, the Rounds in each match are handled in a way to make everything feel fast and high-stakes. Instead of both warriors’ position and health bar resetting to their original states, the match almost never stops. As soon as Round 1 is over, the downed fighter will get up on their feet, right where they fell, with a full health bar and ready to rock. The victor of the previous Round will not regenerate their health, though… which can add a lot of pressure to both fighters.

Two Darkstalkers debut outside Japan

One bit of Darkstalkers history that had been previously exclusive to Japan now finally makes its way to the rest of the world with Capcom Fighting Collection. The original three Darkstalkers games are now joined by two arcade variations making their western debut (in their original Japanese versions). Here’s what the collection looks like now:

  • Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
  • Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge
  • Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire
  • Vampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers’ Revenge
  • Vampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire

The latter two games, Vampire Hunter 2 and Vampire Savior 2, are both derived from Vampire Savior. They all share the same frantic Round system explained above, but with slightly different rosters. Give them a try if you want to mix things up!

We’re excited to bring these arcade classics to western players. All 10 games will have online play powered by a robust rollback netcode. In addition, we’ve also added a training mode to nearly all games –except for Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo–, and a massive collection of art and music to explore!

Capcom Fighting Collection will be available on PS4 for $39.99 on June 24. A digital bundle including Capcom Fighting Collection and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection will also be available at launch for $59.99.