As a fan of original Capcom FF game who played many hours with it I was impressed of SF89 version when watched gameplay on YT. But when I started the real game my impression of the game melted down somehow. Maybe not as much as to say I don't like it but the current in game mechanics are not the same as original.
Game has extended levels created in similar way as original plans and this feature is very good and I like it. There were moments I wondered if original FF had additional locations hidden (finally not released but left in ROM) - that's how good they look.
Both characters has many new movements, character can do desperation move even in the air, but I couldn't find a way to control few of them. Like the combo which Cody finish with jackpot shout. It looked like some automated movement. I have seen on YT crush the enemy head to the ground movement with Cody, which I made only few times on my gameplay and wasn't able to figure it how to control it - it was just random in my case.
Cody and Guy has no back jump which is something I use quite often on original FF. And I missed it here.
About enemy mechanics:
- it is very hard to catch the enemy compared to original FF. I can stay in the same position as enemy, pressing left and right but it doesn't work and enemy is able to throw a punch. Other times the same scheme works like in the original. From YT i have seen players didn't try to grab enemies, maybe because it just work so randomly.
- Andores reach is to far - they throw a punch which reach too far in my opinion. In original only bosses had further reach and it was ok - they were bosses.
- Not sure if it was intended but Andores can stop Your frontal combo attack just with throwing punch. And they do it quite often.
- enemies reach is to wide - I can be not in line with enemy and my fist is not reaching my opponent but in the same time opponent can throw a successful punch.
- hard to hit barrels - I stay as I think in line with barrels and still can't hit it. The same with jump kick.
- due to grab issues I had really hard time with Sodom. And due to wide range of enemy attack, Edi E took all my lives.
- el gado and hollywood change landing point when in air - that was my experience, maybe I am wrong. In original once they were in air they didn't change the location.
- the same with Roxy and Poison and changing land point.
- hard to hit the torches when in line with enemy and trying to hit him with flying kick.
Other things - jerky animation when cpu is controlling player, or jerky movement on title screen (the one from street fighter). Maybe my machine is the problem.