One of Capcom’s most successful arcade cabinets of the 1980s, Final Fight is a legendary beat ’em up game following in the footsteps of earlier classics like Double Dragon. The title would receive many ports to other consoles, with Final Fight One serving as the title’s Game Boy Advance port. Released in the fall of 2001, Final Fight One would end up being a first-generation GBA title releasing not long after the handheld’s launch. The original Final Fight would begin as a sequel to Street Fighter only for the development team to pivot midway through development and turn the game into a beat ’em up. As a nod to the game’s Street Fighter connections, the Game Boy Advance port contains the Street Fighter Alpha skins for characters Cody and Guy.
Final Fight One retains the same core gameplay from other versions of the title but also adds several new features. There is a greater emphasis on story and dialogue in the title than in other versions, with the game now featuring cutscenes and dialogue along with new character portraits. Additionally, Final Fight One features all three original playable characters and a new stage that is missing from the original SNES port. Interestingly, the character models and backgrounds in Final Fight One come from the SNES port rather than the original arcade release.
Final Fight One Premise
©Final Fight One gameplay screenshot – Original
In the mean streets of Metro City, Mayor Mike Haggar refuses to give ground to the nefarious Mad Gear gang. Under pressure to take bribes and threats of violence, Haggar resists turning a blind eye to the gang’s activity, prompting their leader Belger to kidnap Haggar’s daughter Jessica. With no option but to rescue her, Haggar recruits Jessica’s boyfriend Cody and his best friend Guy to take down the Mad Gear gang. The three brawlers need to make their way through 6 stages, facing off against the various lieutenants of the Mad Gear gang before eventually taking on Belger himself.
Each of the three fighters controls somewhat differently, with Haggar’s slower and more powerful wrestling moves in stark contrast to Cody’s boxing and Guy’s ninjutsu. Regardless, players will navigate through side-scrolling 2D stages, moving from right to left and eliminating foes along the way. Enemy health bars deplete as they take damage, and stronger enemies have differently colored health bars to indicate their power. The end of each stage culminates in a boss fight as well as a brief dialogue between the heroes and the members of the Mad Gear gang.
Similar to the original arcade release of the title, Final Fight One‘s two-button layout provides options to either jump or attack. Players can press the attack button multiple times to initiate a combination attack string. Additionally, pressing both the attack and jump buttons at the same time initiates a super-move, though these moves deplete the player’s health. It is also possible to pick up weapons and use them against enemies, though these items disappear when dropped.
Final Fight One Main Characters
©Final Fight One gameplay screenshot – Original
While its story doesn’t move too far beyond the standard conventions of most beat ’em ups, Final Fight One features an excellent cast of characters. Many of the main characters in the game, including the three playable fighters, would go on to star in other Capcom games. At the core of Final Fight‘s story is the young boxer Cody and his girlfriend, Jessica. When Jessica is kidnapped by the nefarious Mad Gear gang, Cody, Jessica’s father Haggar, and Cody’s friend and sparring partner Guy head out to rescue her. The main characters in Final Fight One include:
- Cody Travers: An aspiring boxer and experienced brawler, Mike Haggar enlists Cody’s help when his daughter (and Cody’s girlfriend) Jessica becomes a victim of the Mad Gear gang.
- Guy: Cody’s sparring partner and friend, Guy joins Cody on his quest to save Jessica. He is an American ninja of Japanese heritage.
- Mike Haggar: Mayor of Metro City and a former professional wrestler, Haggar resists threats and extortion from the Mad Gear gang, resulting in his daughter Jessica getting kidnapped. He enlists the help of his daughter’s boyfriend Cody and his friend Guy to rescue her.
- Belger: The leader of the Mad Gear gang, Belcher tries to pay off Haggar to ignore the gang’s activity in Metro City. When Haggar refuses, he kidnaps his daughter.
Games in the Final Fight Series
Despite beginning as an arcade hit for Capcom, the Final Fight series would truly find its footing on the SNES. In addition to the port of the original Final Fight being a massive hit on the SNES, Nintendo’s 16-bit console would end up being home to 2 console-exclusive sequels. Aside from the SNES-era sequels, the Final Fight series mostly consists of ports of the original game. Games in the series include:
- Final Fight (Arcade, 1989)
- Final Fight (SNES, 1991)
- Final Fight Guy (SNES, 1992)
- Final Fight 2 (SNES, 1993)
- Mighty Final Fight (NES, 1993)
- Final Fight 3 (SNES, 1995)
- Final Fight Revenge (Arcade, Saturn, 1999)
- Final Fight One (Game Boy Advance, 2001)
- Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2, Xbox, 2006)
- Final Fight: Double Impact (PS3, Xbox 360, 2010)
Final Fight One Cheats & Cheat Codes
Unlike the original Arcade or other console ports of Final Fight, Final Fight One has an entire unlockable system. Players earn points for completing various objectives throughout levels, subsequently unlocking new skins for characters or gameplay bonuses like a Stage Select. Additionally, Final Fight One has several Game Shark and Code Breaker/Action Replay codes available.
Final Fight One Unlockables
The Game Boy Advance version of Final Fight contains an entire reward system that grants players Fighting Points for playing the game. Players can then exchange these points for game-changing rewards. Additionally, there are two special character skins players can earn from simply playing Final Fight One.
Alpha Cody
Players can unlock Cody’s Street Fighter Alpha character skin and portrait after defeating 500 enemies.
Alpha Guy
It’s also possible to unlock Guy’s Street Fighter Alpha skin and portrait after defeating 50 enemies while using the character.
Fighter Points Rewards
Playing through Final Fight One will earn players Fighter Points that they can then exchange for various rewards. It will take a total of 2,000 points to unlock all available rewards.
| Reward | Number of Points to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Extra Lives (Start with 9 Lives) | 500 Points |
| Stage Select (Choose any Stage to start) | 800 Points |
| Color Change (Alternate character costumes/skins) | 1,300 Points |
| Rapid Punch | 2,000 Points |
Final Fight One Secrets
Similar to other versions of the game, Final Fight One has a handful of useful tricks players can exploit to make their playthrough easier.
Unbreakable Combo Streak
Cody and Guy have a three-hit combo that finishes with a kick. Normally, players would need for an enemy to get up after being kicked to use the combo again, but a trick against Final Fight One‘s AI allows players to use unbreakable 3-hit combos. During the attack, allow the first three hits to land against an enemy, then quickly turn around. The finishing kick will only strike the air, allowing players to turn back around and repeat the process. This is a great way to quickly defeat bosses without ever allowing them to counterattack.
Quick Points
Players can easily earn plenty of Gems and Points to increase their score using a handy trick. Before destroying a breakable object, turn your character’s back to it. Quickly turn around and strike the object to get more Gems and Points than you would otherwise.
Final Fight One Game Shark Codes
Players will need a Game Shark device for the GBA in order to use these Final Fight One cheat codes. Alternatively, players can enter any of these codes into an emulator with a “Cheat” menu.
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Master Code (Must Be On) | 2184B0FE 0828D52F 94F4637B 6BCC8CF4 |
| Invincibility | 21C449AE 494F6B8A |
| Infinite Lives | 41CAACD3 63AC7229 |
| Infinite Time | 4235C582 A46DEDD4 |
| Play as Alpha Cody | 5263952C 9EB5B703 |
| Play as Alpha Guy | BD948827 3CC30178 |
| Freeze Timer | 8F59DE3F 857FC371 14551F08 02AD46B7 |
| Hit Anywhere | 2B725E11 F3F23820 65DA389A 09D8882C FC50AC8D 6A2D1F41 65DA389A 09D8882C |
Final Fight One Code Breaker/Action Replay Codes
Similar to the Game Shark codes, players will need a Code Breaker/Action Replay device for the Game Boy Advance to use these codes. Alternatively, players using an emulator can enter these cheat codes into the emulator’s “Cheat” menu.
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Master Code (Must Be On) | 0000E908 000A 1000CA0A 0007 |
| Invincibility | 32024E54 0009 |
| Infinite Time | 82021608 001E |
| Infinite Health | 82024E5A 004D |
| Infinite Lives | 32024EDB 0005 |
| Infinite Continues | 320215F5 0003 |
| Play as Guy | 82024E59 0000 |
| Play as Cody | 82024E59 0002 |
| Play as Haggar | 82024E59 0004 |
| Play as Alpha Cody | 82024E59 0008 |
| Play as Alpha Guy | 82024E59 0006 |
| Play as Two P | 82024E59 0014 |
| Play as Axel | 82024E59 0016 |
| Play as Slash | 82024E59 0018 |
| Max Score | 82021360 967F 82021362 0098 |
| Start With Max Score | 720215DA 0000 320215DA 0005 |
Final Fight One Cheat FAQs
Is Final Fight One the same as Final Fight on SNES?
Though the two games are both ports of the original arcade game, the GBA version of Final Fight (Final Fight One) has several key differences from the SNES version. First and foremost, the Game Boy Advance release includes Guy as a playable character. His inclusion is cut from the original SNES release of the game. Additionally, Final Fight One features a reward system where players can earn points in exchange for unlockable bonuses that are not present in the original SNES version.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Final Fight One key art.