The SNES port of Final Fight, missing a character and coop. Solid but outdone by Final Fight Guy and arcade versions.
Your verdict
Category
Beat-'Em-Up2 players12+
Co-op
Description
Capcom beat-'em-up in which Mike Haggar, Cody and Guy liberate Metro City from the Mad Gear gang. Published by Capcom, released in Europe in 1990. Three characters with distinct styles, streets and factories to traverse, varied enemies and memorable bosses and alternating two-player co-op. SNES port of Capcom's foundational beat-'em-up.
Final Fight review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Capcom plays the scale card: enormous sprites taking up close to a third of the screen height, against Metro City backdrops sticky with graffiti, bar neon and roller shutters. The Mad Gear members are told apart instantly by build and outfit, and every blow landed reads in the posture before it reaches the health bar.
The conversion rearranges the arcade score for the console's sound chip, and what it loses in aggression it gains in roundness: bouncing bass, softer drums, synthetic brass that carries the melodies well. The subway theme and the street fight theme remain the two pieces that stay with you after the pad goes down.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Roaming the streets of Metro City fists flying, picking up a pipe or a knife and sending hordes of thugs reeling: this pillar of the beat'em up distils an instant, gleeful rage. The hefty sprites and the weight of the blows give each wallop a tasty heft. Direct, snappy and cathartic, a street-fighting classic that hasn't lost an ounce of its bite.
The European PAL SNES edition of the Capcom port of the arcade founder of the modern beat'em up, with a short PAL print. The PAL cart is rarer than the US version, and the SNES port remains known for its cuts (one missing character, two-player mode removed) that purists document as a historical milestone. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs steadily, sustained by physical scarcity and by the cult arcade aura.
Better with friends
An adaptation of a beat'em up cornerstone where you cross a seedy city with your fists, in the cooperative spirit of the genre. The fun comes from raw forward progress and the methodical street cleanup, punctuated by spectacular throws on the heavies. Direct and snappy, it restarts easily among friends, each wanting to show off their best combo string and avenge the last one's pummeling.
Is Final Fight still worth playing in 2026?
The SNES port of Final Fight by Capcom keeps the cult arcade look but has to make concessions, namely one missing playable character and no two player co op. The handling and the weight behind every blow stay excellent, and the Metro City mood remains a beat them up model. The Final Fight Guy revision partly fills in the original Guy gap. For arcade purity at home without co op, a founding classic still very playable and rich in 16 bit patina.
