World Heroes

World Heroes is a game developed by Alpha Denshi and the first in the World Heroes series.

Story
Doctor Brown, a scientist, perfected a time travel machine, and organized the "World Heroes" tournament for various fighters throughout all of history to combat each other. True to this plot, many of the fighters are based on actual historical figures.

Development
According to ADK World, other famous people considered for the cast were Al Capone, Billy the Kid, Musashi Miyamoto, Napoleon, and Jack the Ripper. An Egyptian and a Korean warrior (the game's intended sub-boss) were also in the works. Out of the entire prototype lineup, Hanzo was the only one kept for the final product. Jack was redesigned and later added to the cast in World Heroes 2 Jet.

Gameplay
World Heroes is a 2D fighter by ADK made during the fighting game craze and follows the same format as many of the other fighting games. Instead of a 6-button layout, World Heroes uses only 3 of the standard 4 Neo Geo buttons: one for punching, another for kicking, and the last for throwing. The former two buttons can be held pressed longer in order to deliver stronger attacks. The game has two game modes: the Normal Mode, with own stages and the Death Match Mode, with personalized battle stages.

When fighting in Death Match arenas, there are obstacles which can control the tide of the battle. Ground obstacles can cause fighters to slide forward or backward to their (dis)advantage, or lose a limb by stepping on landmines. Wall obstacles can electrocute, burn or impale fighters thrown upon them, knocking them down for extra damage. Fights will never be the same for arenas with both ground and wall obstacles at the same time for extra humiliating defeats. Be careful of a match where your hair is at stake!

Reception
The arcade version was commercially successful upon release. It was said to be one of the first games that brought the attention of SNK's consoles to game players. In Japan, Game Machine listed World Heroes on their September 1, 1992 issue as being the third most-popular arcade game at the time.

In the United States, on RePlay magazine's coin-op earnings charts, World Heroes topped the software conversion kits chart in July 1992, ranking just above Capcom's Street Fighter II. RePlay then reported World Heroes to be the most-popular arcade game in September 1992. It was then the top-grossing software conversion kit during October to November 1992, and then again in January 1993. On the April 1993 charts, it was the fifth highest-earning software conversion kit. On the May 1993 chart, it dropped to number-eight, with World Heroes 2 at number-five. It was one of America's top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1993.

Critical Reception
The September 1992 issue of Sinclair User gave the arcade game a score of 81%. The October 1993 issue of Computer and Video Games scored it 74%.

On release in the home retail market, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo console version of the game a 22 out of 40. GameFan 's two reviewers scored the Neo Geo console version 92% and 90%. One of the reviewers stated "that it is NOT just another Street Fighter 2 clone", praising the "all new" and "unique" moves and characters, and "the weapons and added Death Match." The other called it "a great fighting game" that rivals Street Fighter II and is "surpassed only by Art of Fighting."

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Genesis version a 26 out of 50, commenting that "The Super NES version was a good Neo Geo reproduction, but this one completely misses! The action is incredibly slow (and a bit choppy) and the voices are horrendous!" GamePro criticized the Genesis version as well, citing slow action, mediocre graphics, poor sound, and hapless opponent AI. In 2018, Complex rated World Heroes 62nd in their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".

Promotion
Early pictures of the Super NES version of the game were presented at the 1993 Winter Consumer Electronics Show.

Stages

 * Note: Throughout the game, there will be a bonus stage (Kim Dragon's stage) given for every 3 completed matches (After Battles 3 and 6). The player is given a task to "destroy everything" within 30 seconds. Failure to do so still earns points, but if successful the player earns a huge point bonus! If a challenger comes into play, the bonus stage resets for a fresh start. The player who performs better gains the upper hand bonus. The players both have infinite life in these stages. The bonus stages are as follows:
 * BONUS GAME 1: SMASH THE STONE: After Stage 3 is the first bonus game: strike the huge slab of stone until you carve out a statue. You are given 30 seconds to strike the slab with ALL your character's moves. Use your punches, kicks and special attacks.
 * BONUS GAME 2: DESTROY THE POTS: After Stage 6 is the second bonus game: crush all 15 pots. These pots drop from the ceiling and roll on the floor once they touch the ground. Ten pots fall within the 30 second limit, so destroy them all before they topple you.

Normal Stages
Marketplace — Hanzo: The Kaminarimon, the larger gate of the Sensō-ji temple, in the district of Asakusa, Tokyo (Edo in this time). Features some people, red and green structures, Kanji signs and the statues of Fūjin and Raijin, Buddhist gods.

Monkey Park — Fuuma: The Lake Kawaguchi, next to the Mount Fuji, in the cities of Fujikawaguchiko and Minobu. The fight takes in the Panoramic Ropeway. Features grass floor, a ladder, a sidewalk and dressed monkeys.

Temple — Dragon: The White Horse Temple, in the city of Luoyang. Features black vases, monks, soldiers, gargoyles, a pagoda and the mountains.
 * Note: the vases can be broken by the players.

Circus Camp — Jeanne: The main entrance of a circus in Paris, at night. Features people, a clown, a circus ball, carts, a red carpet and a tamer driving a car with a lion in a cage.

Imperial Barracks — J. Carn: The city of Karakorum, in a sunset. The fight takes next to the Mongolian Army camp. Features knights on horses and flags of the Mongol Empire. Cage Match — Muscle: A meshed platform above the city of New York, at night. Features spotlights, insulation strands in red, yellow and blue and a grey zepellin with the neon sign FIGHT, besides the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, in the background. A similar version of the stage can be seen in The King of Fighters XIII.

Military Base — Brocken: The fight takes next to a platform passing on the Ramstein Air Base. Features protected pipes, war tanks, aerial bombs, lamps, airplanes, green metal barrels and a metal door with the sign Abw Abt.
 * Note: the metal barrels can be tipped by the players.

Clock Tower — Rasputin: The Spasskaya Tower, in the city of Moscow. Features gears, ropes, candles, a wooden floor and barrels, besides stained glasses.
 * Note: The wooden barrels can be broken by the players.

Space Station Base: The main salon of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth. Features blue crystals, a red structure, a throne and blue crystals. Associated with Geegus.


 * Note: the crystals can be broken by the players.

Death Match Battle Stages
This stages are only available in the Death Match Mode.


 * Note: All the stages featured the same audience cheering next to the arena, with variations of athomsphere and present things.

High Energy — Hanzo: The stage is a ring with a blue floor and electric insulation cordons that, when the player touches him, is automatically electrocuted.

Needle Oil — Fuuma: The stage features a red structure, two oil puddles and thorn walls, in the both sides.

Oil — Dragon: The stage is a ring with blue insulation cordons, a grey floor, two oil puddles and photographers.

Hair Splitting — Jeanne: The stage is a ring with green insulation cordons, a yellow floor and photographers. Fire — J. Carn: The stage is a ring with a red floor and burning insulation cordons.

Landmine — Muscle: The stage is a ring with red insulation cordons, a red floor, photographers and landmines that, when activated, burst and cover the player with fire.

Needle — Brocken: The same stage as Fuuma, but without the oil puddles.

High Energy Oil — Rasputin: The same stage as Hanzo, but with the oil puddles.

High Energy Landmine: The same stage as Hanzo and Rasputin, but with the landmines. Associated with Geegus.