REVIEW: Godzilla - Kaijuu Daikessen (1994)
Toho’s first attempt at a release for the Super Nintendo, 1993’s Super Godzilla, was not received well by critics, as it opted a more strategy-based style of gameplay that resulted in some rather dull and slow gameplay across the board.
So, in an attempt to try and crack into the SNES market one more time, the company turned to Alfa System to develop a new Godzilla-themed fighting game for the console.
This isn’t the first time that Toho had enlisted the services of Alfa System, as they’d previously worked on 1993’s Godzilla: Battle Legends for the somewhat obscure NEC TurboDuo console (read our review of the game here!), so developing a fighting game that featured the iconic kaiju from the Godzilla franchise wasn’t going to be too much of an issue for the company.
A year later, Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen (roughly translated as Godzilla: Monster War) was released in Japan for the Super Nintendo, while a planned US release, renamed as Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters, was cancelled.
So, with the new hardware available to them (that utilised a controller that was more suited to the genre), was this follow up any good?
Let’s investigate…
Gameplay
If you’re one of the few gamers who have given the Battle Legends release a try, then Kaijuu Daikessen will feel incredibly familiar. Each monster in the game has a variety of special moves to choose from, each requiring inputs that should already be familiar to fans of the Street Fighter series (along with hundreds of other games!).
A new feature in the game is the stun meter, which works in tandem with a character’s special meter. A full special meter allows for players to execute special moves such as heat blasts, missiles and lightning beams, but if a player’s stun meter fills up and knocks them dizzy, it also empties the special meter instantly, forcing them to immediately go on the defensive upon recovery.
It’s a nice update to change things up from the first game, and having more than two buttons this time around makes the controls feel so much better, even if they are slightly unresponsive at times.
With that being said though, a handful of issues that plagued Godzilla: Battle Legends do make an appearance in this game too. Having to deal with your character being too slow to turn around and face an opponent is still majorly annoying, and the hitboxes for certain characters (especially the flying kaiju) are incredibly sloppy.
Story
Much like its predecessor, Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen doesn’t really have a specific story as such, as the single player mode once again focuses on a single monster as they battle their way through each opponent.
The major difference this time around is that players can choose from the majority of the game’s roster instead of just the headline kaiju himself. This gives players more options as to how they approach the game on a technical level.
Luckily, the updated visuals and the updated mechanics that go into fights give the matches a more authentic feel when it comes to re-enacting the famous fights from the movies.
Roster
Godzilla: Kaijuu Diakessen features a roster of 11 fighters;
Godzilla
Anguirus
Gotengo**
King Ghidorah
Gigan
Megalon
Mechagodzilla (old)
Biollante
Mothra
Mechagodzilla (new)*
Super Mechagodzilla**
While the roster this time around is slightly smaller than its predecessor, the game is generally more balanced this time around (with the exception of a couple of fighters). The characters have more moves now, with some pretty entertaining new additions such as Godzilla’s “Uranium Atomic Heat Ray” super special move (although it’s frustratingly easy to counter), Mothra’s “Sealing Energy” attack and Gotengo’s high voltage moveset.
Things start to feel a bit uneven when playing both as and against Biollante. Biollante is the only character in the game that is unable to jump and lacks any successful long range attacks, meaning that they’re pretty much a sitting target for an entire match. This also means that when facing the monster in single player mode, the only way to hit them is getting up close, which is where the range where the vast majority of Biollante’s moveset lies.
Similarly to the first game, the obvious omission of one of the most famous characters in the franchise (last time it was Mothra, this time it’s Rodan) is glaringly obvious.
*Only playable in VS mode.
**Only playable in VS mode via a cheat code.
Graphics
The character sprites in Godzilla: Kaiju Daikessen aren’t majorly different to the first game’s, as they were only a year apart from another, but there are definitely some noticeable little tweaks and changes that help to improve the game somewhat.
First of all, the character sprite animations in the game have been slightly polished, with each character now able to display more personality when executing (and taking hits from) different attacks, and generally making them feel more “lifelike” than their cinematic rubber suit counterparts.
Another key area that has been improved upon is the look of the stages. While not massively spectacular when compared to many other fighting games that came out that year, each stage is more vivid and busy than the ones found in Battle Legends, with the added bonus of some stages including destructible elements.
Stages
There are a total of nine stages to fight on in Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen;
Osaka Castle Grounds
Fuji Five Lakes
World Children’s Land
Outskirts of Tokyo
Yokosuka
Wakasa Bay
Minato Mirai 21
Makuhari Bay Area
Tokyo Bay
Each of these stage locations are specifically ripped from the various movies each fight takes place in, and, as mentioned earlier, look pretty good when compared against the previous 2D Godzilla games.
The demolish-able buildings featured in many of the levels are a nice thought, but aren’t as well animated as they could be, making them feel a bit underwhelming. They also reset to normal after each round, making the enjoyment here somewhat fleeting.
As an added bonus for a number of stages, we often get some awesome MIDI renditions of some of the franchise’s most iconic music. I’ll never get tired of hearing the classic “Godzilla Stomp” in whatever form it comes in.
Replayability
As there’s no unlockable content or bonus stages included in Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen, there isn’t really much of an incentive to return to the game on a single player basis outside of maybe getting a high sore on the game’s leaderboard, and even then it’s a bit of a slog.
Luckily, the 2-player versus mode is strong enough to keep healthy rivalries going in couch multiplayer sessions, and seeing some of the most ridiculous and fun super special moves in the history of Godzilla games is undeniably worth sticking around for.
Final thoughts & overall score
Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen is a fairly enjoyable, yet slightly flawed fighting game that not only manages to improve upon the framework set by its predecessor, but is actually one of the better titles in the long library of Godzilla video games.
There’s plenty of famous kaiju to play as, and the fan service throughout the game is more than enough to please even the most casual of Godzilla fans.
It won’t necessarily win over non-kaiju fans, nor is it anywhere near the best fighting game for the system, but it’s worth your time if you want to re-enact those iconic (and cheesy) battles between giant monsters from the movies in a 16-bit fashion.
Do you agree with our review of Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen?
Let us know in the comments section below!