It reminds me a little bit of the old Sega game Columns, not exactly the same but the limited controls makes it more of an action puzzle than a pure puzzle game. One flaw in the game design is that smashing buttons as quickly as you can is often better than playing carefully. Because of the freeze mechanic, getting a lot of moves in is better than waiting too long between moves. Definitely worth spamming buttons if you're about to lose, it can get you out of a jam!
I think Final Vendetta hits the mark in a gameplay similar to Final Fight and the earliest Streets of Rage. And it is a little clunky like those old games. I wish the controls were a little tighter like the later versions of Streets of Rage or most of the TMNT series. Character designs are good, but you spend a lot of time fighting palette swaps rather than unique character. And there are limited cut scenes, unlike some of the other retro games like Huntdown.
