Play Power Instinct (beta) Online

Power Instinct came out for the Super Nintendo in 1993, published by Atlus. It was part of that wave of fighting games trying to find a place on the console after Street Fighter II had set the standard. The game has its own look and a cast of characters that stand apart from the more common martial artists of the era.

You pick one of several fighters, each with their own special moves, and battle through a tournament. The main goal is to defeat all the other combatants to become the champion. The fighting mechanics include a super meter that builds as you land hits, letting you unleash a powerful desperation move when you're near defeat. You can also taunt your opponent to disrupt their own super meter. The pacing is fast, and the computer opponents can be quite challenging, especially in the later matches. It feels like a scrappy, alternative take on the genre, with a focus on quick matches and flashy special attacks.