Thanks to Headup Games for the review code

Title: Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo – The Card Warriors
System: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Price: $7.99
Release Date: 08/07/2018

Story

In this Blackjack game, you take choose from a roster of gamblers aiming to win a Blackjack tournament in Las Vegas, after defeating several opponents on a worldwide quest unaware of the crime gang at play… A very simplistic story, yet somehow this game managed to include brief endings for each of the included characters, similar to the game that inspired the presentation they went for.

Presentation

If the title didn’t already give it away, Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo is heavily inspired by Street Fighter II. Obviously, since the game is in an entirely different genre than a standard fighter, the aspects of the tribute come in the form of the presentation, which parodies the aesthetics of Street Fighter II almost to a T. From the black backgrounds with character portraits and orange text after a round ends, a world map with every character coming from a different section, flying from one country to the next, and even a similar menu layout to some home ports for SFII. All this combined with a decent 16-Bit art style and you have a parody that feels faithful to the game it imitates yet makes efforts to feel as if this was some wacky alternate universe version of the game.

Gameplay

There are only three modes to pick from in SBB2, with them all being slight variations on the same form of the titular card game, Blackjack. The main goal of Blackjack, if you weren’t already aware, is to inch closer to the max number of 21 by drawing playing cards from a deck until you either decide to stop drawing, or break past the number of 21 and automatically lose. While you draw cards, the dealer does the same, and if he gets a number higher than yours when you stop, then you’ll also lose in that manner, while if your number is higher, you’ll win and get double the amount of money that you put up for betting.

That’s pretty much all you need to know about Blackjack, since SBB2 doesn’t do too much to change or mess with the core gameplay outside of adding a little bit of a competitive flair to it, and when I say little, I mean little. Up to three other players can join the wage war between you and the dealer, and in the first game mode you pick a character and compete against a set amount of CPU opponents in a row, making your way up to face off in Las Vegas against the crime lord. These are 1 on one matches with the dealer still around, and the main goal here is to simply make it through the ten consecutive rounds in a match without going bankrupt. If either side goes bankrupt, they lose the match and the other player wins, (the dealer is unable to lose, just being there to take and give money) or after ten rounds the player with the most money on hand is victorious.

The VS COM mode is fairly standard and goes by pretty quickly once you know the hang of it, and while opponents do take riskier bets as the matches go on, it also means that they have a higher chance of bankrupting themselves, so if you end up donating all your money on the first round and win the bet, you’ll have no trouble beating the CPU. Each character has their own win quotes and endings, which is a really nice touch that continue the Street Fighter throwbacks.

The next mode on offer is the single player mode “Simply Blackjack” which is an accurate description. Pick a character, and bet with the dealer as you aim for the highest amount of cash, spinning a wheel once you hit zero to give things another go. This is essentially the game’s endless mode, and the only real point it has here is to help you unlock one of two unlockable characters if you score high enough. Besides that, this is just a time waster with little else to do. Outside of that, you have a local multiplayer mode where you and three other players can compete against the dealer, and I had quite a fun time playing this mode with some relatives, but there’s little else to mention here.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SBB2 is a solid Blackjack game that also serves as a cool throwback to Street Fighter II, but only in terms of presentation. This is still Blackjack, and while I have a lot more fun with Blackjack than Poker, there really isn’t much else to do here outside of unlocking two characters and see all the endings with every single character, although the card game is still very enjoyable. This is only a game that you should really pick up if you just want a fun card game on the go, or if you’re looking for another local multiplayer hit for the family, since the simple button controls make this incredibly easy for anyone with knowledge of Blackjack to pick up and play. SBB2 sets out to get a simple job done, and it does so with success, although I really wish there was a lot more content on offer here outside of the VS COM mode.

I give Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo – The Card Warriors a 7 out of 10.