Expectations are about to be shattered, as one of the biggest fighting games in existence makes its return. SNK's long-running franchise The King of Fighters continues with The King of Fighters XV, and the brawler promises to be the biggest showcase of the storied fighter to date.
With a roster of 39 playable characters at launch, The King of Fighters XV doesn't have the biggest roster the series has ever seen. However, it does appear to have the game's most refined combat and graphics, and a few surprises under the hood that will make fighting game veterans ecstatic. Now, after over a year of having information drip-fed to them, The King of Fighters XV is almost here. Will it live up to the hype?
King of Fighters XV picks up where KOF XIV left off. In SNK's original reveal trailer, producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura spoke briefly about their franchise plans. Shun'ei, a newcomer to the King of Fighters series, is the game's protagonist.
Shun'ei is gifted with the ability to manipulate fire and water, which manifests in the form of gigantic claws. In King of Fighters XIV, players found out that his firepower comes from the evil, Verse. Because of his connection to the evil being, Shun'ei was abandoned by his parents and found by Tung Fu Rue, a master of the Hakkyokuseiken style of martial arts who has been a part of SNK's games since Fatal Fury: King of Fighters in 1991. Tung Fu Rue's training helps Shun'ei control his powers and it's what drives him to continue his training. However, it is still a mystery as to who gave Shun'ei his water powers.
At Gamescom, an updated story mode trailer highlighted some key moments, including Shun'ei meeting up with other fighters and a massive brawl, culminating in yet another big bad attacking at the King of Fighters tournament. Though details remain admittedly sparse, KOF XV looks to have a massive story mode with high-quality cinematics and is being positioned as a climatic finish to The King of Fighters' ongoing narrative.
Game designer Eisuke Ogura, who has worked on KOF since its inception, joined the project as creative director. In an early interview, he explained that King of Fighters XV will have fast-paced combat while trying to shake things up a bit. Their tag line, "Shatter All Expectations," leaves players with very little to speculate on but big expectations. The final release is living up to that; in addition to its massive roster, KOF XV will include a special short by Masami Obari, the director of 1994's Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture OVA, as well as a DJ station with over 300 songs from the history of King of Fighters, allowing players to jam out to their favorite tunes while they're busting heads.
Much of the past year has been met with information released at a trickle, but a final roster of 39 playable fighters was announced in the Gamescom story trailer. As of this writing, only 9 fighters remain to be announced. Of the 39 announced fighters, only two are new -- Isla and Dolores, both of whom appear to have some kind of specific rivalry with Shun'ei based on the trailer and final key art. The other fighters are some of KOF's biggest characters, including the likes of Kyo Kusanagi, Ash Crimson, K' and the return of Team Fatal Fury's classic lineup. Heroes from each KOF arc will be returning as well, such as Crimson Ash. Also announced was the first wave of DLC, Team Pass 1, which will include six characters making up two full teams. The characters have yet to be announced.
There will be multiple editions, as has become the norm. In addition to the standard version, a physical Day One edition will include a skin for Terry Bogard based on his appearance in Garou: Mark of the Wolves at no additional charge. Meanwhile, The King of Fighters XV Deluxe Edition will include the base game with three days Early Access and Team Pass 1. The digital version will include the Classic Leona outfit for Ikari Team's Leona Heidern based on her design from her debut in The King of Fighters '98. Deluxe Edition will retail for $84.99.
In the final story trailer, SNK finally confirmed a number of features, including new combat mechanics like Shatter Strike, which allows players to counter-attacks, and two improved variants on Max Mode and a new simple control scheme. Most importantly, it was confirmed that KOF XV would finally feature rollback netcode. Rollback has become the preferred method for fighting games, though many companies still rely on delay-based netcode due to how their games were programmed at the time. The implementation of rollback netcode could mean players will finally have a KOF title with solid online connectivity, opening up for gameplay around the world. KOF XV will support 2-8 player online play and 1-2 player local play.
Fans of SNK and their fighting game franchises will not have to wait much longer. After a year of trickle-feeding information out and a significant delay, The King of Fighters XV is finally almost here, with an official release date of February 17, 2022 announced at Gamescom. That February release date puts it in some serious contention, as it releases in between huge titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Destiny 2's next expansion, The Witch Queen.
It was also officially confirmed that The King of Fighters XV will be joining next-gen. While it was expected to launch on Sony's PlayStation 4 akin to The King of Fighters XIV, KOF XV will also be available on PlayStation 5, as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. A PC version will also be launching on Steam and Epic Games Store.
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