Ragnagard
Ragnagard is a 1996 fighting game developed by Saurus and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD and Sega Saturn. The game's characters are all based on Shinto deities.
Also recorded as Shin'ōken · Shin'ouken
Ragnagard
- Date
- 1996
- Publisher
- SNK
- Genre
- fighting game
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Ragnagard is a 1996 fighting game developed by Saurus and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD and Sega Saturn. The game's characters are all based on Shinto deities.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q7283132
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Ragnagard • Developer — Saurus • Publisher — Saurus (Neo Geo CD) • Director — Ryōmi Momota • Producer — Nobuyuki Tanaka • Designer — Hiroaki Fujimoto • Programmer — Hideki Suzuki • Artist — Kyoosuke Motoya Motohiro Toshiro Ryōmi Momota • Composer — Hideki Suzuki • Platforms — Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn • Released — ArcadeJune 13, 1996 Neo Geo AESJuly 26, 1996 Neo Geo CDAugust 23, 1996 SaturnApril 4, 1997 • Genre — Fighting • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Arcade System — Neo Geo MVS
Gameplay
Gameplay
• Illustration — Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Susano and Benten. Ragnagard is a fighting game using pre-rendered sprites similar to that of Rare's Killer Instinct but with different gameplay mechanics. The game features an Aerial Battle System which is done by pushing up on the joystick and both of the weak punch and weak kick buttons together, allowing for air combos and air dashing. Players can also charge up the power gauge (based on four elements of Water, Wind, Fire, and Thunder, though each character only uses two of the four elements) which allows for Desperation Moves to be performed. Super Desperation Moves can be performed only if the player's life is flashing red, similar to The King of Fighters series.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Ragnagard is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
Ragnagard received generally mixed reception from critics since its release. Of Electronic Gaming Monthlys four reviewers, Crispin Boyer had a subdued reaction, but the other three panned the game. Shawn Smith and Sushi-X found it boring due to the characters' choppy movements and the lag time between each move, and Dan Hsu and Sushi-X remarked that while the pre-fight animations are impressive, the graphics are undistinguished once the fight starts. MAN!ACs Robert Bannert commended the character designs but felt overall mixed about Ragnagard when reviewing the Saturn conversion in regards to several design aspects. Player Ones Christophe Delpierre compared the visual style of the game with Killer Instinct. In a retrospective review for AllGame, Kyle Knight felt mixed in regard to the pre-rendered visual presentation and audio design but criticized the balance issues with characters and gameplay.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Emap International Limited. Maximum News: 3D Rendering with a 2D Fighting Game? Enter Shinoken. Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. 5. 123. April 1996.
- 2.Knight, Kyle. Ragnagard [Japanese] (Arcade) - Review. AllGame. All Media Network. 1998.
- 3.Smith, Shawn. Review Crew: Neo•Geo - Ragnagard (SNK). Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 86. 28. September 1996.
- 4.ASCII Corporation. NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 神凰拳. Famitsu. 434. 31. April 11, 1997.
- 5.Bannert, Robert. Overseas – Sega Saturn: Ragnagard. MAN!AC. Cybermedia. 44. 63. June 1997.
- 6.Delpierre, Christophe. Vite Vu – Neo Geo CD: Ragnagard. Player One. Média Système Édition. 68. 118. October 1996.
- 7.SoftBank Creative. Sega Saturn Soft Review - 神凰拳. Sega Saturn Magazine. 45. 152. March 28, 1997.
- 8.Geibunsha. NF編集部にまる - ネオジオゲームㇱインレビュー: 神凰拳. Neo Geo Freak. 25. 124–128. June 1997.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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