FinalBurn Neo Git Update Brings Arcade Lighting Fixes and MSX Improvements

A March 21 Git build of FinalBurn Neo landed with two specific fixes that arcade and home-computer emulation fans will notice: implemented lighting effects for the arcade title gng, and updated MSX support contributed by community member gab75.

FinalBurn Neo, derived from the original FinalBurn project and older MAME versions, covers an expansive range of hardware including Capcom CPS-1, CPS-2, and CPS-3, Neo Geo, and Sega System 16. The emulator also supports netplay, rewinding, and shader effects, making it a feature-complete option for anyone serious about arcade preservation.

The gng lighting fix is the kind of change that separates accurate emulation from close-enough emulation. Ghosts 'n Goblins, the Capcom classic that gng refers to in the FBNeo ROM naming convention, has atmospheric lighting tied closely to its horror-arcade identity, and getting those effects right matters to anyone running the game through FBNeo rather than original hardware. The changelog entry is spare but precise: "gng: Implements lighting effects."

The second item, "Updated MSX support from gab75," reflects the community-driven development model FBNeo relies on. The MSX line of home computers, produced through a Microsoft and ASCII Corporation standard in the 1980s, sits outside FBNeo's arcade core but has been part of its console and computer support portfolio. Contributor gab75 supplied the update, continuing a pattern of outside contributors pushing specific platform improvements into the main tree.

The FreeBSD ports tree, maintained by Jose Alonso Cardenas Marquez, tracks FBNeo under emulators/fbneo. The port was first added on November 23, 2024, and last updated August 31, 2025, with version 1.0.0.3.20250406_1 representing the most recent quarterly branch snapshot in that packaging system.

The March 21 compiled build follows activity that Retro Replay had flagged around March 18, when the Git tree showed incoming commits addressing arcade-specific bugs. The two changelog lines published with the March 21 build represent the documented output of that development window, with gab75's MSX contribution standing as the clearest example of how FBNeo's maintenance continues to draw from contributors outside the core team.