The King of Fighters is a series that always has filled me with a sense of excitement. Back in the day, we had Neo Geo cabs with multiple games on them, but KOF was always the star of the show. SNK’s most recent addition to the series manages to capture the heart of what made so many previous titles fun. Boasting a roster of 39 fighters at launch as well as more additional fighters added to the game through the season pass, there is someone here for everyone. Attacks are visceral and really pack a punch. Literally. The flames dance off the screen as if alive. Want a Muay Thai practitioner that throws projectile tornadoes? You got it. Prefer to be the inheritor of the Shiranui ninjutsu style, then Mai is your gal. There is even a dinosaur if you feel like giving your friends a prehistoric beat down.
I would be remiss if I did not at least mention the difficulty of some moves, but to me, it was well worth the investment of time. One way this is balanced out in arcade mode is that after a loss there are “service” options that will either buff your team, debuff the opponent, or both. Each character has its own vibe, and while some attacks may have parity, no two characters feel at all the same. K’ has a super where he throws his shades at the opponent before beginning a barrage of blows leading to an explosion for example and this is just one of the so many mesmerizing abilities that are available to learn. Because of the rich history of KOF, there is a lot to learn here about the characters and the world they are in. Now let’s talk about the graphics. KOF was one of the last fighting games from the old guard to take the plunge into 3D graphics, which I personally didn’t mind since KOF XIII gave us the glory that is Kim’s pants animation. Seriously, these things look like sheets floating in the wind. I still don’t understand how they managed to make them look so fluid. I’m quite pleased with the character models in this version. I’m happy to report. It is clear that the development team went to great lengths to ensure that the rich heritage of this arcade brawler was properly represented. This brings me to the DJ Station. Wow! I probably spent an hour the first day just customizing my music for each stage and vibing to the tunes. If you are a tried and true fighting game fan then you will find some great memories here, as I did. Not all songs are unlocked at the start and require beating the Story mode with specific teams of characters.
Types of Fighters represented in KOF XV are across the spectrum. In most games characters are more or less divided by their fighting style, thus determining their approach and win conditions. If one chooses a grappler, for example, they will need to cautiously avoid projectiles and close the distance in order to enforce their game plan. Although, once they do it is usually at the cost of a large chunk of life for whoever is on the business end of their attacks. While some characters feel more like hybrids than clear cut ‘types’ KOF is refreshing because characters like Shermie and Blue Mary have more options in neutral compared to say Antonov who feels much closer to the classic definition of a grappler based on his moveset. For those that like to stay away from their opponent while doling out pain, I recommend a zoner like Athena who can discourage dashes with projectiles, and make them think twice about jumping with strong anti-air moves. There are a lot of characters that have projectiles, but not all of them are strong zoners. Kyo, Iori, Joe, K’,Terry, Mai, and King all have fireball attacks but they are not all necessarily zoners. Personally, I prefer rushdown characters that can dispatch enemies in short order by overwhelming them with attacks at point-blank range. While this can seem like an easy way to win at first glance, it takes a deep understanding of frame advantage to really capitalize on this playstyle and snowball one good punish into a K.O.
We live in a world that is constantly connected through the internet, and as such, when playing fighting games that require lightning-quick reflexes online it can be frustrating if frames drop. The good news is KOF XV has rollback netcode and with that comes a much smoother experience when playing in casuals or ranked. The controls are extremely responsive based on trying the controller, snackbox (hitbox style controller), and fightstick. Whether playing offline on the couch or online, this game is just a good time that reminds me of the good ole’ days in the best way possible. PS4 and PS5 can crossplay but unfortunately at the time of this writing, the PC version does not have crossplay.
A long-standing tradition of the series is incredibly cheap and overtuned final boss fights and that is definitely still the case here. Winning against a CPU in a fighting game hasn’t felt this satisfying in ages. The intensity of the announcer’s voice paired with the sweet visuals when an opponent gets caught lacking and eats a super that leads to a K.O. is just one of the many ways that KOF XV will keep you coming back for more!
