@machok
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 (rated the game 4/5) but the current in game mechanics are not the same as original.
It is clear that much much time and efforts were put to create this openbor version but the enemy movements
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. Maybe not always the transition beetween them are flawless but still good.
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 how he crushes the enemy head to the ground, 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. Sometimes I can see the back jump when cpu is controlling Cody.
Tested version 3.7.
About enemy mechanics or game 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. Sometimes a flying knee is needed to grab enemy and sometimes not. From YT i have seen players didn't try to grab enemies at all, maybe because it just work so randomly.
- Andores reach is too 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 as well as stop your flying kick. And they do it quite often. In original flying kick is weak but practically unstoppable on not bosses.
- enemies reach is to wide (to up and to down) - I can be not almost in line with enemy and my fists are not reaching my opponent but in the same time opponent can throw a successful punch, after staying still for few seconds. It makes Andores for example the real deal not in likeable way. They could be hard in original without this advantage.
Player range is also wider but it sometimes work, and sometimes not. Not sure why.
- enemies like to go off screen but only on their volition. When pressed to left or right side with attacks, game keeps them on screen which looks weird.
Also when enemy is on one side of screen (left) and player will try to go further to right then enemy is pressing to the right by left end of screen. The same goes with enemy lying on floor (it's body is pulling). Not sure it was intended, but for sure it is not ok.
- for almost all enemies including bosses (maybe not Sodom, Edi or Rolento) the unstoppable (or almost) tactic is to throw enemies on side of screen, stand on them and throwing punches endlessly. It is my tactic for all Andores for example. Bosses can sometimes free themselves from this stuck.
- hard to hit barrels - I stay as I think in line or almost in line with barrels and still can't hit it. The same with jump kick.
- game calculates landing point of jumping enemies (el gado, hollywood, damnd) to the very late moment so the run from it is a real deal. To the point i thought earlier that they can change place in the air. The best contrattack is desperation move.
- hard to hit the torches when in line with enemy and trying to hit him with flying kick. In original these red guys could throw torches in quite wide are, but in this version it seems to be unlimited, whenever player stays.
- fire from torches looks horrible. Sorry.
- Berger is much easier here but can shot player even if not inline with him. When low on energy he should evacuate near the glasses and stay there jumping and shooting. But sometimes it doesn't work and he doesn't change his patterns. Last time i defeated him when he was doing his normal attacks on the left side of screen and in the end of fight he just flew up through ceiling. Not sure why glass broke, he was so far from it.
- unlimited number of knives on the floor - there was reason why Capcom decided to limit number of knives to six on the floor. Maybe it was a little too low, but here the fight with number of hollywoods and el gados becomes frustrating when I can't throw a punch because my character is taking knife from floor.
Other things:
- jerky animation when cpu is controlling player, or jerky movement on title screen (the one from street fighter).
- press start / credit string is lower on screen for right player than for left player.
- car has no time in crash the car bonus. Not sure if it is by intention.
- break the glasses bonus has no time. Even if bunch of glasses seems to be in the same line player can't break them with one good flying kick - fourth or fifth glass will start rotating when hit.
- game can stop progressing further in different moments or waiting quite long after defeating all enemies. Not sure why.
- in the park, before brawl with number of hollywoods and el gados, there are one barrel and pile of tires with food hidden under. In the original if barrel was destroyed off screen then the hidden item could be throw back to screen area (at reasonable distance). In this version it doesn't work and item stays outside of screen.
- last animation after defeating Berger ignores screen filter from configuration.
- On levels transition game ignores sound volume and for quite moment sound level goes up to the default value.
- I didn't find a way to go to configuration menu when in game (for example to lower or upper sound volume). Yes, i can change volume outside of game so it is very minor.