The Neo-Geo was loaded with all sorts of fighters. Wanted samurais? Samurai Shodown covered it. Zoom-in fighting? Well, there were the Art of Fighting games. Traditional crossover heaven? King of Fighters. There were a ton. So it might’ve been easy to miss some. Like, say, Breakers.
Produced by Visco Corporation, both Breakers and Breakers Revenge (which is really more of a Breakers: Director’s Cut, but whatever) had entertaining aspects that a small community enjoyed. But they came out on a system overloaded with offerings, so, yeah, a good majority of folks missed them.
Fret not, however. Thanks to QUByte Interactive, you can now enjoy both games in near- perfect pixel form with the Breakers Collection, and while that doesn’t sound like the ultimate fighting collection (unlike the multi-title collections that Capcom has provided recently), they still offer a nice piece of fighting history. Not to mention the online play with rollback code is exceptional, really opening up the game for old players and newbies alike.

A Good Feeling Fighter
The thing we noticed about Breakers and its Revenge follow-up is just how accessible they are when it comes to an array of moves. We had no problem adapting to the systems here,
including everything from defensive rolls to dash cancels to super attacks that you could unleash in the blink of an eye. QUByte did an amazing job recapturing the classic style of play here, though you’re best off using a fighting controller or a FightStick if you have access to one.
Your JoyCon controllers may not be the greatest option here.

There are training modes to help you out as well, along with leaderboards and tons of options to tinker with. This is good, because the AI can be a bit challenging. Of course, that’s always the way the Breakers games operated, to keep players on their toes so they could take advantage of the systems that were introduced here. You might take a little longer to get into Breakers than you would, say, Street Fighter II. But that’s not a bad thing – the more you learn, the better you get, and the more adaptive you become with Breakers’ awesome cast.
Also, the online play is superb. Playing locally is a gas as well, but connecting with matches feels incredibly smooth, and ties in nicely with the leaderboards (unless you’re losing, heh). The rollback code for a cheap ($20) is really something, and adds considerably to its value. So if you like competition, step right up and get it.

Not an Amazing Looking Fighter, But It’s Loaded With Nostalgia
Now, I should tell you, since this is not produced by Capcom or anything, Breakers does look a bit…old. That’s because QUByte left it just the way it is, Neo-Geo translation and all. That might turn off those looking for 4K features or something in high-resolution.

That said, they did a superb job keeping the classic looks intact. The animations, backdrops and little effects are still great after all these years; and the game speed is worthwhile, especially with online play. We were surprised how there was hardly any drop-off during our matches.
Not to mention the little animations on each of the characters. The music’s not bad. It’s not as iconic as Street Fighter’s worldly soundtrack, but it’s pretty good, reminding you a lot of the Neo-Geo heyday. I’m also a fan of the neat little sound effects from each brawler, as well as the “meaty smacks” that come from each of the landed hits.
You’ll be in arcade heaven with this one.

Break Your Wallet
Despite showing its age in some places and not really having a wide variety of titles like Capcom’s games, Breakers Collection should definitely be invested in. The two games here offer a lot of fun, with a great cast of characters, solid gameplay, good challenges and a variety of options. Plus the online play is surprisingly well done. You may have missed out on Breakers the first time around, but here’s your chance to rediscover it and enjoy some 90s brawling bliss.

The Bottom Line:
If you’re even remotely a fan of retro fighting games or anything from the Neo-Geo era, Breakers Collection should immediately be purchased.