SNK vs. Capcom – SVC Chaos PC Review

As a self-confessed Street Fighter obsessive, it’s always a blast to digitally collect and compare all the series’ cornucopia of titles over the past few decades. Just when you think you’ve seen them all…there’s SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos!

On the Street Fighter side of this offering, there’s been some deliberate evolution from Capcom along the journey. At a risk of over-simplification (diehards don’t hate me, please): what began as a fighting simulator, morphed into a special move centric title, one emphasizing speed, then special moves and play styles, on to team-ups and cross-licensing, new expanded rosters and characters, a counter and absorb emphasis, and finally the current phase of uber competitive online play plus modern controls. Sprinkled in along the way were pixel-centric throwbacks for portables, puzzlers, and an array of clever uses of the license. Literally every title plays differently and for very specific reasons by Capcom. The same can be said about SNK’s King of Fighters series, the other side of this strong duo (and one I’m much less familiar with outside of the NEO GEO offerings).

As a reference point, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is one of the lesser known, arcade only titles of both series (quietly ported only to XBOX), released in 2003. Thus, it’s a welcome surprise to see it pop up in the Steam store 21 years later. Per its title, it features a character roster (36) plucked from the best and brightest of both licenses (also ‘hidden’ characters unlocked via a button press) presented in a pixel versus hand-drawn feel most common to both series. Developer Code Mystics is quite good at SNK fighter throwbacks, and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is no different. Specifically, they are excellent at porting classic titles onto modern platforms without an annoying emulator feel (e.g. slowdowns, audio glitches, screen flicker, etc.), with SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos presentation perfect for true authenticity. Music, voice overs and sound effects are arcade mirrors, with kudos for menus a breeze to navigate. Code Mystics know what they’re doing.

A little disclaimer if you’re new to this title: it’s odd and very Japanese. Character selection is slightly head scratching, as is the language translation. There’s a peculiar disclaimer up front on authenticity being preserved at risk of potentially offending…and for mildly good reason. Not there’s anything eye poking in here, rather SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos features some off color and always strange dialog between characters, a unique art style, and I’m not sure ‘Nude Room’ is what they meant.

Playing this on Steam Deck, it’s a bit disappointing and slightly unintentionally challenging that the analog stick is not default enacted. While SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos’ package is a faster paced and simplified presentation over traditional SNK or Street Fighter offerings, that is not the case in execution. SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos relies on the classic and occasionally complicated combo schemes of the King of Fighters and Street Fighter series, and firing these quickly and often on the D-pad isn’t a given. It’s not something that can’t be overcome, but it does get semi-frustrating at times. Be warned: the CPU is tough, which makes the analog absence more glaring than it should be. Thankfully and by default, multiple button presses are intelligently mapped to shoulder buttons.

Still, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a seemingly perfect online title for those playing on traditional PCs. Matches are fast, fun, and the character rosters zany enough to produce some terrific surprise wins. Note some special moves can be overpowered, thus expect spam friendly opponents should you go this route.

Final Thoughts

SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a throwback, different, and quirky title that looks, sounds and plays just like its original 21 years ago. It’s a more obscure entry into both series, thus not a must have, with some unique translation, characters, and art style.