Yes, that headline is not a blunder. A brand new fighting game is headed to the Super Nintendo Entertatinment System, and its name is Unholy Night.
Demoed over at Hong Kong Retro Game Expo 2016, the game is being developed by former SNK developers who worked on Kizuna Encounter, The King of Fighters ’98, KoF 2001 and KoF 2002. Unholy Night is all on a 32MB cartridge, and it’ll be coming out in Feb. 2017.
According to a report by WWG, photos in the NeoGAF thread show players sampling the game on a TV with a built-in Super Famicom. As WWG reports, the game is based on “the lore surrounding vampires, werewolves, and a group of hunters known as the ‘Dark Family.'” Movesets are similar in nature to the arcade and console button combos of the mid-’90s. And, for that matter, the aesthetic is quite familiar too. The game’s character select screen shows an anime style reminiscent of Capcom’s Darkstalkers series, with the female fighter Nightmare hearkening back to the game’s immensely popular succubus, Morgan.
It’s hard to say why Unholy Night is getting an SNES release. The SNES had a successful run of fighting games from the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat franchises, but the SNES itself was not necessarily considered a prime console to own as a fighting game player. That distinction went to PlayStation 1 and Sega Saturn. Plus, SNK developed and sold the Neo Geo, leaving many curious fans wondering why former SNK developers would choose the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Famicom over the Neo Geo itself. Perhaps novelty, perhaps popularity, perhaps a slight admittance to the fact that the Neo Geo had its flaws. Regardless, the developers working on Unholy Night did work on several Neo Geo titles in the past, so it’s not as if the team is unfamiliar with the requirements and limitations of the 1990s.
No word on any plans to bring Unholy Night to Western markets or additional consoles, but if the project does well, expect to hear more news shortly.
