Best Fighting Game Stages: Last Blade 2’s Large fire At Wadamoya
We are back with a more frequent celebration of some of the fighting game’s greatest stages. Today we are returning to Feudal Tokyo to discuss a fight in a raging hellfire, and it’s The Last Blade 2’s Large fire At the Wadamoya stage.
There were many fighting games in the 90s and 2000s. Some survived stronger than ever, like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken. However, others went under. Although games like Bloody Roar, Rivals Schools, Fighting Vipers and Rivals Schools have been forgotten, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth remembering.
This was true even for SNK. King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown games are well-remembered and continue to be played. However, Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury, as well as Buriki One, were either abandoned or absorbed into larger SNK titles. The KoF series combines five fighting games into one, while Samurai Shodown surpassed The Last Blade, SNK’s Feudal Japan fighting title.
The Last Blade series was similar in style to Samurai Shodown. It was a 2D weapon-based fighting game with high damage output, defensive capabilities, and a fast pace. Two fighting modes were available, speed and power, which allowed players to choose between quick combos or raw damage. The Last Blade’s simple controls, combined with a lot of depth and ease to use, made it an excellent game.
The Last Blade 2 was a sequel to the original game. It added new characters and abilities and a third fighting style, Ultimate. This hidden fighting style combined the best of both fighting styles with defensive moves. It also featured the legendary Large Fire At Wadamoya, a classic fighting game stage background. The Large Fire stage is flawless from concept to execution.
Large Fire At Wadamoya may be the most simple name for a stage in fighting games history. However, its simplicity is what makes it so appealing to play on. The stage is similar to Tekken 5’s Moonlit Wilderness, but it’s on two sides. Moonlit Wilderness, which is so beautiful and isolated, is a joy to see. Two people fighting there add weight like nothing else in this universe to these characters.
The same effect is achieved by Large Fire at Wadamoya using alternative methods. The massive inferno creates a feeling of urgency and isolation on the stage. Yet, these two skilled warriors are willing to risk their lives for this fight. They could both die, most likely, in the castle from smoke inhalation, but neither would be able to rest until they knew who was superior.
Background work such as this gives fighting games more drama and gravitas than street corners or any evil villain laboratory. The Large Fire at Wadamoya has some amazing sprite work. It seems like the flames are close enough to the fighters that they can cut through them with every strike.
Although The Last Blade 2 may not be as well-known as other fighting games, it is still a great game. It’s also available on all modern platforms, thanks to the ACA Neo Geo game. The Large Fire at Wadamoya alone is enough to make it worth the effort, but you should also check out the rest of The Last Blade 2.
