Breakers (video

game)

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from the corresponding article in Japanese.
Learn more

Breakers (ブレイカーズ) is a competitive

fighting game developed by Visco, which
was released for the Neo Geo coin-
operated platform on December 17, 1996.
Home versions were released for the Neo
Geo cartridge console on March 21, 1997,
and for the Neo Geo CD on April 25, 1997.
 Breakers

Japanese arcade flyer of Breakers

Developer(s) Visco

Publisher(s) Visco, SNK

Designer(s) Don Gabacho

(producer)[1]
Composer(s) Kenichi Kamio[1]

Platform(s) Arcade, Neo Geo

Release Breakers

Neo Geo, 1996

D b 17
 December 17
Neo-Geo CD, 1997
April 25
Breakers Revenge

Neo Geo, 1998 July 3

Genre(s) Fighting

Mode(s) Single-player,
multiplayer
Cabinet Upright

Arcade system Neo Geo

An updated version titled Breakers

Revenge (ブレイカーズリベンジ) was
released exclusively for the arcades on
July 3, 1998.

Gameplay
The controls of the game is similar to that
of SNK's earlier installments in their Fatal
Fury series (particularly Fatal Fury 2,
Special and 3). The special actions are
also similar to other fighting games from
the same era, although the dashing and
back-stepping techniques tend to differ
between characters (some of them will roll
on the floor for example). Additionally, the
player can move while standing up after a
fall. The game system emphasizes
balance between characters by featuring
an elaborate damage adjustment feature.

The player also can perform super moves

by accumulating enough energy in their
power gauge and performing the
command (the power gauge can be filled
up to three levels). To accumulate energy
for the Power Gauge, the player must
perform special actions such as taunting,
dashing, back-stepping, rolling, etc. Like
most fighting games, the player can cancel
a regular move into a special move or
special move into a super move, but the
player can also connect one super move to
another until their Power Gauge runs out,
allowing the player to perform acrobatic
combos. Because of its emphasis on
damage adjustment, it is hard to spam the
same attacks for great damage.
The matches follows the standard one-on-
one best two-of-three format like most
fighting games, but a match can last up to
five rounds if there is no clear-cut winner in
previous rounds (the game will end if both
fighters lose the fifth round and no bonus
points will be awarded if one wins the fifth
round). In the single player mode, if the
CPU uses the same character as the
player, then the CPU-controlled character's
name display will have a different name.

The home versions of the game were

released for the Neo-Geo AES and the
Neo-Geo CD. Both versions feature an
option menu with a sound test allowing
the player to play the game's music, sound
effects and voices. The CD version adds a
2-player Versus Mode and a Survival
Mode. The music is also slightly-arranged.
The final boss Bai-Hu is also a playable
character in the CD version.

Breakers Revenge

Breakers Revenge is an upgraded version

of Breakers that was released exclusively
for the arcades. It introduces one new
character named Saizo and makes the
final boss Bai-Hu into a playable character.
Revenge makes adjustments to the
existing cast of characters, rebalancing
the game. However, the opening intro is
almost identical to that of the first game
and game's graphics are not that different;
however, the lifebars were modified to look
different compared to the first game's
lifebars, while some stages' graphics were
removed (e.g. flags in Sho Kamui's stage).

Plot
The following plot summary is translated
from the home versions' manual:

Somewhere in Hong Kong, two martial

artists face each other in a vast courtyard.
The challenger is a stout man in brown
skin. The ground has been tainted with
blood. However, his crescent blade hasn't
touched his opponent yet. It was a one-
sided battle. He was already exhausted and
it won't be long before he would fall.
"Fool, you will become one of my family"
resounded the opponent's voice, as the
challenger crumbled to the floor and was
turned into sand.

The Fighting Instinct Tournament, or FIST,

is a tournament as fierce as its name
suggests. There was no shortage of martial
artists who entered the tournament seeking
fame, and yet there were many who left the
tournament as corpses. The last challenger
who remains in this lawless tournament
gets to challenge the organizer of the
tournament, the Head of the Huang
Financial Clique, for the chance to win the
massive prize money. The martial artist
who can manage to defeat him will obtain
the honor of truly calling him or herself the
strongest. However, none of the martial
artists who were chosen to challenge the
champion in a private final match have ever
come back alive. Nobody knows when
exactly the tournament is held, since only
an avaricious will was spiraling over there.
The sponsor is actually an evil spirit who
possessed the body of a modern man from
Hong Kong who has established a selection
system to amplify his dark powers. The
FIST tournament has gathered numerous
participants from around the globe and
another sacrifice will be chosen this year.

Main characters

The original Breakers features a roster of

eight playable characters and a single
boss character who is playable only in the
home versions. Additionally, each of the
playable character has a differently named
palette-swapped alter-ego that each
character face during the single-player
mode instead of the usual clone. Breakers
Revenge introduces one new character and
turns the boss into a playable character as
well.

Sho Kamui (神威 翔 Kamui Shō) - The

lead character. A young karate exponent
from Japan who is pursuing strength. In
the 1994 prototype Crystal Legacy, he
was known as Takeshi Kamui (神威 武
Kamui Takeshi)).
Lee Dao-Long (李 刀龍, Romaji: Rī
Taoron, Pinyin: Lǐ Dāolóng) - Sho's rival
and senior. A young Korean who
practices a Chinese martial art called
the "Empty Fist." In the 1994 prototype
Crystal Legacy, he was known as Park
Tong Shin (朴 東勝, Pinyin:Piáo
Dōngshèng), and wears a slightly
different outfit.
Tia Langray (ティア・ラングレー Tia
Rangurē) (voice actor: Minako Arakawa)
- A female fighter in a red leotard and
headband famous for her kicks. Her
name in the 1994 prototype Crystal
Legacy was Shelly Tarlar, which was
given to her clone counterpart in
Breakers. Her prototype version wears a
slightly different outfit.
Pielle Montario (ピエール・モンタリ
オ Piēru Montario) - An Italian nobleman
who fights with a fencer's weapon (most
likely an épée or sabre) and the power of
lightning. In the 1994 prototype Crystal
Legacy, his name was spelled as Pierre
Montalio, with the "l"'s and "r" switched.
Condor Heads (コンドル・ヘッズ
Kondoru Hezzu) - A Native American
fighter who uses a powerful grappling
style. In the 1994 prototype Crystal
Legacy, he was known as Red Gigars, a
name given to his clone counterpart.
Shiek Maherl (シーク・マハール
Shīku Mahāru) - A stocky Arabian man
who fights with a scimitar and uses fire
projectiles, but can also inflate himself
like a balloon. In the 1994 prototype
Crystal Legacy, he was known as Sahl
Mahal (サージ・マハール).
Rila Estansia (ライラ・エスタンシア
Raira Esutanshia) - A wild-hearted
protector of the wilderness and forests
of the Amazon who attacks with her
claws and speed. In the 1994 prototype
Crystal Legacy, she was known as Virgo
Sandra, which was given to her clone
counterpart in Breakers.
Alsion III (アルシオンⅢ世 Arushion
Sansei) - An undead ancient Egyptian
with rubber-like limbs who uses electric
and poison attacks. Unlike other
characters, in the 1994 prototype Crystal
Legacy, his main name is the same
name in Breakers, and was neither
changed to a different name, nor given
to his clone counterpart.
Huang Bai-Hu (黄 白虎, Romaji: Hoan
Paifū, Pinyin: Huáng Báihǔ) - The game's
final boss. Supposedly the world's
strongest martial artist, he is an evil
spirit who killed Dao-Long's father and
possessed his body. In the 1994
prototype Crystal Legacy, he was known
as Dostov.
Saizo Tobikageno (飛影 才蔵
Tobikageno Saizō) - A ninja who seeks
revenge on Bai-Hu for the slaughter of
 his clan. His attacks use fire and various
animals. He is the only new character in
Breakers Revenge.

Clone characters

During the single-player mode, instead of

fighting a clone of their character, the
player will face a differently named,
differently colored alter-ego. Even though
these alter-egos have different names and
back-stories, but are otherwise palette-
swaps of the regular characters.

Jin Sawamura (沢村 陣 Sawamura Jin) -

Sho's alter-ego, named after a certain
game company employee. A karate
master who is Sho and Dao-Long's
senior. A big fan of the band group
TUBE.
Wáng Liu-Khai (王 劉凱) - Dao-Long's
alter-ego, although he has no
connection with him. He resents his
girlfriend for leaving him and aspires to
become a voice actor.
Shelly Tarlar (シェリー・ターラー) -
Tia's alter-ego. A female kickboxer who
fought Tia's brother in the past and is a
local celebrity in her hometown. She
possesses the so-called "Gem of Water".
George (ジョルジュ) - Pielle's alter-ego.
A Frenchman who was once robbed
during a trip to Italy and has harbored a
hatred for Italians ever since.
Red Gigars (レッドギガース) - Condor's
alter-ego. He is a distant relative of
Condor whose clan shares a common
ancestry with Condor's. He possesses
the so-called "Gem of Earth".
Javar (ジャバァ) - Maherl's alter-ego. A
cheerful butcher who uses his
butchering blade as a combat weapon.
Virgo Sandra (ヴァーゴ・サンドラ) -
Rila's alter-ego. A woman who was
entrusted to the "forest tribe" as an
orphan and was raised by a giant snake.
She possesses the so-called "Green
 Gem". Her surname, "Sandra", comes
from the village where she lives.
Atoum (アトゥーム) - Alsion III's alter-
ego. A fan of ancient civilization who
dresses up like a mummy. When he is in
this form, he can use the techniques of
the "Pharaoh Taijutsu" style. In reality, he
is a descendant of Alsion III.
Yukikage (雪影) - Saizo's alter-ego. Like
his counterpart, he appears only in
Breakers Revenge. It is uncertain
whether he is a real ninja or just a
fanatic dressing like one.

Development
Arcade flyer of Tenrin no Syo Crystal Legacy

Breakers was originally announced in 1993

under the title of Crystal Legacy in English,
or Tenrin no Syo Chicago (天麟の書 死嘩
護) in Japanese. The game was first
announced in the premiere issue of Game
Hisshō Guide (ゲーム必勝ガイド)
published by Byakuya Shobo in 1993, while
the first issue of Game Center Tenkoku (ゲ
ーセン天国) published by Tokuma Shoten
during the same year revealed the first
screenshot of the game. An issue of
Geibunsha's Super Gamers magazine
published a strategy guide for this
prototype, which differs from the released
version by having only a single-level
special move gauge, different commands
and move names for some of the
characters, and having the same Super
Move command (ABCD simultaneously)
for all the characters.

Tenrin no Syo underwent location testing

on June 1994 at the Famil game center
near Shiinamachi Station and was later
shown at the AM Show during the same
year, before the game was revamped and
retitled Breakers.

Reception
The game is rather obscure in the arcade
and Neo Geo scene, but it has gained
something of a cult following. Along with
no home ports of Breakers Revenge being
released, the home ports of the original
Breakers was never released outside
Japan, pushing it deeper into obscurity.
Due to its status and notoriety as a cult
classic, it can still be seen being played in
some modern Japanese fighting game
tournaments. Even more so, the game is
now more accessible due to the existence
of emulators.

References
1. Closing credits of Breakers

External links
Official Breakers Revenge website
Breakers at the Killer List of
Videogames
Breakers Revenge at the Killer List of
Videogames
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Last edited 23 days ago by an anon…

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