Power Instinct: Matrimelee is an arcadefighting game published by. It's the fifth installment in the Power Instinct series, and the second fighting game created by Noise Factory after Rage of the Dragons 3. The game was first released on Neo Geoarcade system on March 20, 2002, and it was one of the last games to be released on the system. The title is a compound of "matrimony" and "melee". Matrimelee ignores gameplay elements introduced in its predecessor, Groove on Fight, and goes back to 1-on-1 match structure. A few of the game elements from Rage of the Dragons 3 were integrated to this game, such as the special meter that slowly fills up when an attack connects with an opponent and the four guest stars. In 2005, the game was released on PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan, under the new title Shin Gōketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnō Kaihō. This port treats itself a sequel, taking place after the events from Matrimelee, with more changes in gameplay and the addition of new characters while removing the Rage of the Dragons cast.
Gameplay
Matrimelee discards all the characters introduced in Groove of Fight and brings back the roster from Power Instinct 2, plus characters 2 totally new and one new boss. It features 6 unlockable guest characters from saga Rage of the Dragons: Shintaro, Buntaro, Jimmy, Elias, Lynn, and Jones. In the game's story, the King of Certain Country wants to find a worthy successor for the throne and the ideal husband for his little daughter So he holds a fighting tournament where the prize is the hand of the princess and the throne succession. The game inherits the Stress meter system from Power Instinct 2, but with further changes. The Stress meter now could be filled up to three levels. Super moves included are a Stress Shot, an Ippatsu Ougi and a powerful, hidden super attack called a Kinjite. However, only a few of the characters have Kinjite moves. Finally, transformations are no longer possible.
Release
Matrimelee was ported to PlayStation 2 in May 25, 2005, under the title Shin Gōketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnō Kaihō. It was released exclusively in Japan. It features enhanced graphics and sound, the return of 4 of the older characters, a new boss, and the return of the transformation feature. Gameplay was also improved in some areas, and super attacks were made easier to execute. The game has the same backgrounds and all the characters from Matrimelee, while the game's story takes place after the events from the previous game, making it a sort of sequel or update. The game tells the story of the king from the previous game, who holds a "Bonnou Kaihou" tournament to cheer up his daughter Princess Sissy. This time the prize is anything that the winner could wish for. This version also features an online mode and a 'Lust Cards System' that consists of buying cards with special effects. Some allow the player to change certain characteristics of the characters, others are used to view special music video clips, and others to call strange characters to help the player in battle.
