Shadow Fighter

Shadow Fighter is a fighting game created by N.A.P.S. and published by Gremlin Graphics exclusively for the Amiga, initially for ECS machines, then AGA.

Clearly inspired by popular titles such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter II, Shadow Fighter anyway has its own personality, with 16 unique characters, each one with its own moves. Unlike the official conversions of these famous arcades, the beat-em-up created by NAPS doesn't have gameplay problems. You almost forget that the Amiga joystick has only one button, which was the biggest limit in other fighting games. You only miss it in the most complicated combos. Graphics and backgrounds are amazing, with good use of the 256 colors of the AGA models. Music is also excellent, and it fits perfectly the different scenarios.

So, is Shadow Fighter the best Amiga beat-em-up? Hard to say, but it is clearly better than other attempts, like Body Blows. The only other title comparable with this quality is Fightin' Spirit. But if you want, Fightin' Spirit is a bit more similar to the The King of Fighters series, while Shadow Fighter follows more closely the formula of Street Fighter II.

In any case, we are talking about the highest levels reached by the Amiga productions in the '90s. The closest thing to Neo Geo games you can find on the Commodore 16-bit computer.