Daraku Tenshi (AKA The Fallen Angels), was a lesser known martial arts themed arcade fighting game, that was developed by Steel Hearts and published by Psikyo back in 1998; a time when the classic arcades were really starting to wind down. The game boasted compelling 3D graphics for both its depiction of characters, and background visuals for each of the game's stages. The ghosting effect of characters special fighting maneuvers felt incredibly reminiscent of Capcom's classic Street Fighter 3 series.
Check out the video below running at 60 frames per-second. The graphics were amazing, and despite its lack of completion (which we'll discuss further in a moment here), the game was a lot of fun to play.
The Fallen Angels story line encompasses A massive earthquake that rocks a modern civilization, splitting off an entire city from its surrounding land form. Cut off with no communication from the outside world, the city then spills into chaos, as sex, crime, drugs, and infighting take over, as the city's inhabitants fight for supremacy.
The game featured 8 playable characters, each with their own unique fighting maneuvers, with several being equipped with projectile attacks, including missiles, darts, and a gun. For this reason the characters in The Fallen Angels aren't the most well balanced. Ironically, the game has 4 hidden, yet unplayable characters who's sprites were found in the original ROM.
Given the lack of projectile attack abilities among the game's characters, and the fact several were never actually included in the final version, pretty much leads to the realization the game was never fully completed. Despite the game's fast-paced, well-rounded game play, the game falls short in terms of its lack of fighting maneuvers, which for the most part felt incredibly limited.
Outside of special attack maneuvers, the game didn't feature any real long-chain combo fighting abilities.
Another really surprising thing to not about this game was the fact it was one of just a very few fighting titles ever to be published by Psikyo, who was often best known for it expansive library of arcade shooters.
All being said, The Fallen Angels was really an incredible fighting game that sadly, never truly lived up to its full potential. The game never saw the light of day in North America, having been released in Japan originally, and apparently in very limited numbers. The 3D graphics and game play style were definitely on par with Street Fighter 3, but the lack of fighting maneuvers left a lot to be desired.
Written and published by Daniel Imbellino - Co-founder of Gamers Bay! Feel free to connect with me on Google+:
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Check out a list of more lesser known arcade fighting titles: 10 Lesser Known Classic Arcade Fighting Games You Should Play!