Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix

About Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix

Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix (1997), known in Japan as Pocket Fighter, is Capcom's comic fighting game starring the super-deformed cast of Puzzle Fighter, who power up by knocking gems out of each other.

Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix in Depth

Using the super-deformed designs from Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, it brings back most of that game's cast, from Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, along with Ibuki from Street Fighter III and Tessa from Red Earth, with cameos from many Capcom games in the backgrounds. Every hit knocks gems out of the opponent, which can be collected to level up three special moves linked to coloured Gem gauges, a system based on Red Earth. Elemental orbs, visually based on Darkstalkers' elemental hits, can be thrown at angles to turn opponents to stone or freeze them, and each fighter starts with one, Tessa with ice and Ryu with lightning. Treasure chests and item carriers hold items, and food restores health.

The four buttons are Punch, Kick, Special and Taunt. The Special button performs a humorous unblockable move that makes the opponent drop gems, more if charged, and the direction held decides which colour falls, while holding back gives a character-specific defence. A super meter stores up to nine stocks for Mighty Combos of different levels. Mega Crushes, usable in mid-air, cost one stock and empty the Gem gauges to fire all collected gems at the enemy, and Counter Crushes roll the character across the screen attacking. Fighters start with three animated stock icons whose expressions change from happy to sad to surprised as the fight goes on.

Making Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix

Capcom developed and published it for arcades in 1997, reusing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo's chibi character designs for a full fighting game. Next Generation gave the PlayStation version three stars, calling it "distracting fun for two players (although utterly mindless as a single-player game)" and "solid stuff, but only for the true cognoscenti", while PSM called it "a unique and humorous approach to the fighting game" that "really delivers".