Joy Mech Fight was a NES game that only ever launched in Japan, where it went by the name of ジョイメカファイト (Joi Meka Faito).
This is actually an obscure Nintendo game developed in the business’ R&D1. It launched late in the NES’ lifespan in May 1993, which seems odd as the Super Nintendo had been out for two years by that point.
Joy Mech Fight really pushed the limits of the NES, with very advanced graphics and sound. Well worth a look, then, as it launched to the west for the first time with its release on the Nintendo Switch’s NES catalogue.
Joy Mech Fight Was the Ultimate NES Swansong
With over 1,392 Nintendo licensed NES games launching, some 681 of that lot were Japan only exclusives.
And Joy Mech Fight is probably one of the most important of the whole catalogue, right up there with the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) and The Legend of Zelda (1986).
The use of graphics in the game is odd.
Characters are displayed in segments on the screen, with body parts of the robots floating around separately. This was done to make animation smooth and free-flowing, rather than the juddering weirdness of most NES titles.
Thanks to that clever approach it allowed for some 36 playable characters! A remarkable amount considering the NES’ limitations. Although, we must add, only eight of those can be used in Story Mode.
In fact, no fighting game got near that total until SNK’s The King of Fighters ’98: The Slugfest on much more advanced machinery.
Joy Mech Fight also has one of the best soundtracks on the NES. This was about as good it could get on the little 8-bit console!
As for the game! Well, there’s a plot there. It’s about two scientists (Dr. Little Emon and Dr. Ivan Walnuts) who create amazing robots together.
Sadly, Dr. Walnuts uses his skills to create military robots WITH THE PLAN OF WORLD DOMINATION OMG HE’S GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
Dr. Emon takes it upon himself to stop such nonsense.
He creates a robot called Sukapon and the idea is to go out, do battle, and save the day and all that. So, yeah, it’s a fighting game. Just one with an interesting spin on the button mashing formula (at least for the time).
We mean, when there are robots beating each other up on the Moon like this you can’t go too wrong.
Another reason this stands out is down to Nintendo generally steering well clear of fighting games. Other than the Smash Bros series, it hasn’t really dabbled with the genre.
The result? Well, it’s a solid NES game! Just one with very advanced (for the console) graphics and noises.
It functions as a standard fighting game. The difference is there’s no invisible wall blocking the left or right of the plane you’re on, so you can move about endlessly if you so wish (the background just loops).
These days, Joy Mech Fight now has a dedicated cult community following it.
It’s arrival to the UK some 30 years after its launch in Nippon is welcome as we got to sample its delights for the first time.
NES games did continue launching up until 1995, but there is something of a swansong quality to Joy Mech Fight. Primarily as it was more or less the last game Nintendo created for it.
