Spectral VS Generation - From JRPG to arcade

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Hello everyone! How are the mecha battles going with Assault Suit Leynos, the remake of the classic of which I talked about in the last entry? For this new entry we are going to go back to the 2D Versus genre with a classic style game called Spectral VS Generation. Let´s see what this little known fighter has to offer.

Developed by the Taiwanese company IGS in 2005 exclusively for the Japanese arcades, Spectral VS Generation is a classic style 2D Versus game that, just like games such as Sega´s Blade Arcus and Dengeki Bunko or Examu´s Nitroplus Blasterz, is a spin-off/crossover of other game series, and more specifically of two Tactical RPG series not so well-known in the west such as Spectral Force and Generation of Chaos, both created by Idea Factory, a Japanese company specialized in JRPG games and creators of recent cult series such as Hyperdimension Neptunia or Record of Agaress War. The game was ported later to Sony´s PlayStation 2 and PSP, which will be the version I will be focusing on, although all the versions are virtually identical. Maybe some are surprised to see a Taiwanese company developing a 2D fighting game based on Japanese franchises, after all, the 2D fighting genre it’s a kingdom that has always been ruled (almost) exclusively by the Japanese companies. However, although some might have never heard about the name IGS, this small Taiwanese company managed to build “a reputation” (even if small) among the arcade fans during the golden era of the arcade games with Beat ´Em Ups such as Oriental Legend, Knights of Valour and The Gladiator, VS fighting games such as The Killing Blade and Martial Masters, and even Run ´N Gun games such as Demon Front, although the company could never get rid of the “label” of making cheap knock off of other arcade classics, something that, on the other side, well… was kind of true, as many of the companies’ titles clearly resembled other classics of their time, such as Knights of Valour and Capcom’s Warriors of Fate, Martial Masters and also Capcom’s Street Fighter III, or Demon Front and SNK‘s timeless classic Metal Slug, which is probably the most obvious case. However, that doesn’t mean by any means that the Taiwanese company’s titles were not good games. In fact, they even went as far as developing BeeStorm: DoDonPachi 2, the unofficial sequel of Cave’s shooting classic, so, as you can see, despite never entering the “hall of fame” of the arcades, we are not talking about an inexperienced company when it comes to arcade games, which is where Spectral VS Generation comes from.

As I was saying before, Spectral VS Generation is a spin-off/crossover that brings the worlds of two of Idea Factory Tactic RPG franchises to the 2D Versus genre, thus we have that the game´s fighter roster is composed by 10 characters that come straight from both of the Japanese company’s series, and although it is true that 10 characters is rather on the short side (at least by today’s standards), the game compensates it with the distinctive way of fighting of each of the characters. However, all the character’s profiles will fit in one of the typical profiles you can find in the genre, so don’t expect something as kinky as Guilty Gear/BlazBlue or even anything near it, after all, we are talking about a low-budget production. The game makes use of a four buttons layout, with three buttons assigned to the weak, medium and strong attacks, and a fourth and last one used for the kicks. On top of being able to perform all the typical actions of the genre, such a throws, Recoveries, dashes, special attacks or using the typical power gauge that will fill up during the combats so that we perform the characters’ most powerful and devastating attacks, Spectral VS Generation also adds its own personal twist to try to add something to a genre where is getting more and more difficult to surprise the players. Some of these features include:


- Chaos Breaking: if we block our rival’s attack (either on the ground or in the air) with this skill, we will leave them completely exposed to our attacks for a short period of time.

- Time Freeze: this skill will allow us to use part of our power gauge to stop the time, leaving our rivals complete exposed.

- Sword Series Attack: this skill will allow us to perform a semiautomatic combo (either standing or crouching) that will make things easier for the less skillful players, as well as helping some “overconfident” veterans to get out of an unexpected tight spot.

- Fierce Flaming Awakening: when we have less than a third of our vitality left, this skill will allow us to activate a mode that, for a short period of time, will increase our character’s power and defense stats, on top of automatically refilling our power gauge constantly, thus allowing us to use as many super attacks as we want.

- Guard Attack: this skill will allow us to use part of our power gauge to perform an automatic counterattack after blocking our rival’s attack.


Regarding the game modes, keeping in mind we are talking about a direct port from an arcade game, Spectral VS Generation includes just the indispensable, which includes the typical Arcade Mode in which we will face a series of rivals controlled by the CPU until we finally face the typical final boss, a Versus Mode that will allow us to fight against CPU controlled rivals or against our buddies in local multiplayer matches, a Survival Mode in which we will have to defeat as many rivals as possible, and finally the typical Practice Mode that will allow us to practice the different skills and combos of all the characters. As I said, the game includes just the indispensable, most probable due to its arcade nature and more than obvious lack of budget.

Finally, regarding the presentation of the title, Spectral VS Generation does the job, but don’t expect anything crazy. In fact, Spectral VS Generation doesn’t have the “best pixels” ever created by IGS, an award that most probably would belong to Martial Masters. The sprites of the characters are well done and display a relatively big amount of details and fluid animations, although the models are rather small. The stages where the combats will take place are also correct, but despite being varied, some of them feel rather empty and lifeless, giving the overall feeling that the game is a couple of steps behind the best in the genre.


Spectral VS Generation is not a surprising or innovative game, in fact, in stays more on the rather conservative side of the genre. However, what it does, it does well, or at least good enough to have deserved a few coins during the arcades golden era. If you are looking for a new 2D Versus game, Spectral VS Generation could be the perfect excuse to wipe the dust of your old PS2/PSP. It might not be the best, but still better than many others. Enjoy it!


GAMEPLAY VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmFaIVwUao