Waku Waku 7
 

 
STORY"It is said that the person who collects all seven of the legendary WakuWaku Balls will have their dearest wish granted. Those who find one of the balls become obsessed with the ruthless desire to obtain the others, who will be victorious in the bitter battle to become the owner of all the balls. Victory or defeat - it all lies in your hand."
  

Waku Waku 7 character selection screen.

 
ABOUT
Waku Waku 7 is a 2D fighting game developed by Sunsoft. Waku Waku 7 initially released as arcade game for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 1996. It was Sunsoft's second 2D fighting game following their 1994 Super Famicom spin-off of their Hebereke series, Sugoi Hebereke, and Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors (1995), their first 2D fighting game. The "7" in the game's title refers to the seven main playable characters of Waku Waku 7. The game also features two boss characters who became playable in the home version. An arcade-perfect port is included in the 2008 PlayStation 2 release, Sunsoft Collection.
  

Arina versus Slash.



Waku Waku 7 features a total roster of 9 characters (two of which available only in the Versus mode of the console ports). Each fighter a uniquely different play-style and parodies a well-known character from another game. Each character has a powerful special move (referred to as the Harahara movement, or Harahara motion). Harahara techniques are easy to perform and are unblockable, but require a character to "charge" them which can take a few seconds (during this time, they can be interrupted). Characters can also be launched through the screen to hit the opposite corner, and be attacked while on the ground, but can also dodge or attack while getting up.

 

Waku Waku 7 isn't short on entertaining animations.

 
Waku Waku 7 is an underrated and obscure fighting game in more ways than one. The traditional 2D gameplay feels familiar to other traditional 2D fighters of the era and feels mostly solid. While the roster of Waku Waku 7 is small and a bit lonely, the way the game's colorful cast parodies other characters is pretty entertaining. Waku Waku 7's stages feature several different versions at different times of day. A comical sub-boss named Bonus-Kun, who also appears in Galaxy Fight, returns in Waku Waku 7 as a sub-boss.
 

Fernandez is one big troll of a boss.

 

Page Updated: March 7th, 2023
Developer(s): Sunsoft, D4 Enterprise  (Wii Virtual Console)
Hamster Corporation
  (Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
Publisher(s): Sunsoft, SNK, D4 Enterprise, Hamster Corporation
Designer(s): Yuichi Ueda       Director
Atsuki Matsui
Kazuhito Terada
Koki Kita
Platform(s): Arcade, NeoGeo, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch
Release Date(s): Nov. 20th, 1996           Arcade
Nov. 21st, 1996            Arcade / Neo Geo
June 20th, 1997           Saturn
2008                                   PS2 - in Sunsoft Collection
Apr. 27th, 2010            Wii VC
Mar. 3rd, 2017           Nintendo Switch
Characters Arina, Rai, Mauru, Politank Z, Dandy-J, Tesse, Slash, Bonus-kun, Fernandez

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Related Games: Galaxy Fight, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFIII: New Generation, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, Darkstalkers 3, The King of Fighters '96, The King of Fighters '97, Samurai Shodown 4, Killer Instinct Gold, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness, TEKKEN 3, Savage Reign, Kizuna Encounter, Golden Axe: The Duel, Red Earth, Martial Masters, Asura Blade
 

Gameplay Engine  
Story / Theme  
Overall Graphics  
Animation  
Music / Sound Effects  
Innovation  
Art Direction  
Customization  
Options / Extras  
Intro / Presentation  
Replayability / Fun  
"Ouch" Factor  
Characters  
BOTTOM LINE

 

    

  

First Impression: Waku Waku 7 is a wacky, cheerful, colorful, and obscure 2D fighting game that flew way under the radar in the late 90s. Waku Waku 7's oddball characters, charming art style, and shameless sense of humor were the game's most distinguishing features.

Following the footsteps of Galaxy Fight, Sunsoft delivered another lesser-known (but memorable to those who played it) 2D fighting game. Perhaps the most significant gameplay advancement over Galaxy Fight was the addition of the super meter, which the previous game didn't feature at all. Overlooking its shortcomings, Waku Waku 7 has charm and polish in places you might not expect.
~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
  

Click Here for all animated stages!

 
 
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