Advanced Variable Geo

Advanced Variable Geo is a 2D fighting game developed and published by TGL (Technical Group Laboratory) and originally released in 1994 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² system. This title is a key entry in the Variable Geo series, focusing entirely on an all-female cast of combatants competing in the tournament.

When you start a match in Advanced Variable Geo, you choose your fighter and participate in traditional one-on-one combat. You execute standard light and heavy attacks using the controller buttons, stringing them together to form combos. Learning the timing for each character's special moves is crucial to dealing real damage and controlling the space on the screen. The mechanics feel straightforward for a mid-90s fighting game.

The main appeal of the Advanced Variable Geo PC Engine CD version is the extensive story mode that frames the entire tournament. Between rounds of fighting, the game switches seamlessly to a visual novel format. You follow the dramatic progression of the V.G. tournament, watching long, high-quality anime cutscenes and listening to fully voiced dialogue sequences that develop the plot and introduce backstories for the fighters. These narrative segments are a significant part of the Advanced Variable Geo experience, dedicating considerable screen time to character development and interaction, much more so than many other fighting games of the time.

The PC Engine CD format uses its storage capacity well for these sequences, offering superior presentation. The CD-ROM capabilities of the platform give the background music a high-quality CD-DA sound, offering clear audio that accompanies the on-screen action and story segments. Hearing the professional voice acting during the character interactions in Advanced Variable Geo makes the narrative feel more dramatic and fully realized than standard cartridge games of the era.