REVIEW:  Capcom's hit Street Fighter II series was known for its memorable and completely original character designs. Hitting arcades in 1994, Darkstalkers retains the same kind of awesome energy as Street Fighter, but with an entirely different theme and cast of characters. Capcom decided to try their hand at creating an all new fighting game series, with recognizable and catchy horror-themed characters. With groundbreaking artwork by Bengus and a completely new animation style and presentation, Darkstalkers (or Vampire in Japan) made an unexpected splash in arcades around the world in the mid 90's. The first Darkstalkers had more in common with Street Fighter 2 than any of the later installments did (both visually and mechanically), including a world map on the character select screen.
 

 

Darkstalkers features 10 playable characters along with 2 (non-playable) boss characters. The game features a 6-button layout not unlike SF2, and characters have access to a Special Gauge similar to the Super Combo Gauge seen in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. When a character's gauge is full, they can perform a quick and devastating super move. Thanks to the similar motions of performing special moves, players of Street Fighter (and other 2D fighters) can jump right in and start fighting effectively right off the bat.
 
 
The gameplay of Darkstalkers introduces many innovative mechanics that put a fresh spin on things, including: Air Blocking, Crouch Walking and finally, one of the series most "defining" mechanics, the Chain Combo. Darkstalkers introduced the Chain Combo system (later to be used in many other fighting games for decades to come). Chain Combos allow players to string together successive normal attacks from weakest to strongest (e.g., Light Punch to Medium Punch to Hard Punch) while on the ground. The elevated offense makes every character feel fast and ferocious, and they definitely are! 
 

 

Every character also has access to ES Moves (Enhanced Special Move): Powered-up versions of regular special moves executed by inputting the special command and pressing two attack buttons of the same type simultaneously, consuming a portion of the meter, in addition to the EX Move (Special / Super Move): The game's full super combo attacks unleashed when the Special Gauge is completely full. There is also the Pursuit Attack (Ground Chase): Executed by pressing Up + Kick when an opponent is knocked down or tripped to hit them while grounded. Finally, the Guard Cancel allows players to execute specific special moves right as an opponent's attack connects during block-stun to instantly transition into a counterattack. Unlike standard static super meters, the Special meter in the first Darkstalkers gradually drains over time unless used, which forces an aggressive playstyle.
 
 
The polish on the character animation and sprites is on par with the impressive Street Fighter Alpha series (easily one of the best-looking 2D fighting games to date). However, Darkstalkers animation in particular is far more bizarre and exaggerated than any other fighting game out there. The wacky animations and attention to detail really takes things to another level and makes the game stand out visually. Along with the attractive character designs that only got better with time, their equally insane movesets and fighting styles are just as catchy as any Street Fighter character (and feel great to play once you learn them). While the Darkstalkers have their own original fighting styles, most of them do share a fundamental attributes and similar play-styles of those from the Street Fighter universe, which made the game immediately enjoyable and accessible to any educated 2D fighting game player.

   

Page Updated: July 27th, 2026 Developer(s): Capcom Publisher(s): Capcom Artwork by: Bengus, Edayan, Daigo Ikeno Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation, PSN, PS4, PS5, Steam Release Date(s): July 1994                        /    Arcade Mar. 28th, 1996          PS1 Characters:  Demitri Maximoff, Morrigan Aensland, Jon Talbain, Felicia, Bishamon, Lord Raptor, Anakaris, Rikuo, Sasquatch, Victor, Phobos, Pyron Featured Video: Related Games: Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, Darkstalkers 3, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Darkstalkers: Resurrection, Vampire Chronicle For Matching Service, Street Fighter 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Primal Rage, Samurai Shodown 2, Tekken, World Heroes 2 Jet, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Warzard, Kaiser Knuckle, Capcom Vs. SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Capcom Fighting Evolution, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, SNK Vs. Capcom Chaos, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Capcom Fighting Collection    Gameplay Engine  8.0 / 10 Story / Theme  8.0 / 10 Overall Graphics  7.0 / 10 Animation  7.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  7.5 / 10 Innovation  8.5 / 10 Art Direction  10 / 10 Customization  7.0 / 10 Options / Extras  6.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation  8.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun  7.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  6.5 / 10 Characters  8.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  8.2 / 10  Review based on Arcade version      Final Words: Capcom took a big risk with Darkstalkers... as the Street Fighter 2 series and Street Fighter Alpha were well-known and already very successful with fans. Yeah, Darkstalkers had big shoes to fill. Ultimately, Capcom gave fighting fans a shiny new 2D fighter which introduced highly entertaining character designs... characters that many players would fall in love with for years to come. The wild animations, crazy special moves, memorable characters, interesting fighting styles, and immersive setting made Darkstalkers an instant classic that was easily able to stand out on its own. In my opinion, the core gameplay of the first Darkstalkers game was solid but didn't quite live up to the most recent installments of its bigger brother (the Street Fighter series) or some of the other modern 2D fighting games of the era. In retrospect, I actually enjoy the pace of the original Darkstalkers, as it resembles the pace of Street Fighter more than it does later in the series with Night Warriors and Vampire Savior. The sequels to Darkstalkers succeeded the original in every way imaginable The monstrous Darkstalkers cast speak for themselves, with every pixel of animation telling a story and giving characters charisma. Thanks to the character selection and contrasting styles, every match-up provides variety and pure excitement. The damage animations are hilarious and the character sprites really pop when they hit their key animations in their special moves. To say the least, Darkstalkers is a true Capcom gem and a work of art in every way. The series only got better from here. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for more Official Artwork! Click Here for All Animated Stages! Click Here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES