Power Stone Review

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The Sega Dreamcast was way ahead of its time but ultimately failed due to the poor management of Sega and the lack of response from consumers. That’s not to say that the Dreamcast was a critical failure, video game historians look back fondly at the system that just couldn’t compete with the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox. A few games for the Dreamcast library stick out from the rest. Power Stone is one of them. In 1999, Capcom released the brawler Power Stone that would take from the Super Smash Bros formula with Sega’s twist. Let’s smash some tables and open some chests in this Power Stone review!

Power Stone Plot:

Fighting games typically have backstories for their fighters which I enjoy reading but most just have a “fighting tournament” in which the user participates. Power Stone is unique in that the fighters aren’t battling each other for a tournament, but for the right to receive the power stone. The stone is said to make any dream come true, so you can imagine it’d be sought after!

The game itself is set in the 19th century as fighters all around the world search for the stone in hopes of making their wish come true.

Power Stone Gameplay:

Powerstone shines with the gameplay combination of its colorful fighters, unique environments, weapons, and controls. I’ve never been great at fighting games, and my lack of skills showed in Power Stone. You’ll face an opponent one-on-one in their home environment that can range from a museum, pirate ship, or park among others. Each place has breakable objects and it’s fun to send someone flying through glass cases or park benches. I don’t have the patience to learn all the combos in fighting games so I just punched and kicked my way to victory, but believe me, I had to turn down the difficulty as I struggled just on the normal setting. These fighters kicked my ass and I detailed that in my Power Stone review notes.

The key to victory is finding the power gems that eventually unleash your special attack. Each character will transform into a special version of themselves equipped with a few power moves that deal massive damage if you can hit your opponent. I spent the first half of the fight desperately searching for the power gems while smashing chests or picking up weapons to keep my attacker at bay. If the opponent snatched the power gems up first, it was usually game over for me as they destroyed me with their specials. Once I was powered up, I had a decent shot of winning the fight.

The second to last boss took me almost 15 times to beat and after I defeated him, I thought I beat the game. Instead, I was greeted with another battle by an even tougher end boss who I must have fought 50 times. I know I’m not the greatest in fighting games, but man this was tough!

Power Stone Fighters:

Let’s take a look at the roster of fighters you can play as.

Edward Falcon is a 21-year-old boxer who is the son of a famous boxing champ. When he transforms, he looks like Iron Man and can launch missiles at his opponents. I played at Edward the most.

Wang-Tang (I love these names) is an MMA fighter who wants to become a chef. He’s 19 and as his name suggests is from Asian descent.

Ryoma is a 19-year-old swordsman who can transform into a silver samurai when he is powered up. Looking at the ages of the characters, this is a young man’s journey!

Ayame and don’t even ask me how to pronounce her name is a traveling entertainer. She’s 16 and becomes a dancer when she powers up.

Rouge is a 23-year-old fortune-teller known for her beauty. I don’t believe I ever tried her out as a fighter, so I’m not sure how effective she is.

Jack looks like a mummy as his body is covered in bandages. His age is just a guess but people say he is around 40 years old. He transforms into a mad clown when powered up.

Gunrock is your typical big boy fighter who looks slow but is a powerful brawler. He is 38 and was a pain to defeat.

Galuda resembles an Indian and when he powers up he looks like a totem pole. At 34 years old, I was expecting a better fight from him but he was easy to defeat.

Kraken is the pirate and second to last boss. He was so tough to defeat, especially when he powers up. You can unlock him as a playable character.

Valgas is the final boss in the game, and he has two forms. He is extremely powerful and quick. I faced him 50 times at least before defeating him.

Memories:
I never played Power Stone as a kid, I only knew one friend that had a Sega Dreamcast, and I don’t recall him ever having this game. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I played Power Stone for the first time. It reinforced the idea that I suck at fighting games.

Power Stone Review Score:

Power Stone isn’t just a fighter, but more of a brawler where you smash your opponent through the environment, pick up chairs and other objects to throw at them, and power up in hopes that you do it before your opponent does. I liked the overall game, and the settings were fun to destroy. It was a bit too hard for my taste, but I liked the characters and their sprites. This game would be perfect for a weekend of multiplayer with friends on the couch. If you like Super Smash Bros or Playstation All-Stars, this is the Sega version.

Power Stone scores an 8.0 out of 10.

What would you write in your Power Stone review? What did you think of Power Stone when it first came out? Who was your favorite fighter and were you able to defeat Valgas? What special power-up did you use? Let me know your thoughts and memories of Power Stone, I’d love to read them!