The King of Fighters XV

It’s a good beat-’em-up, but there are many great ones you could be playing instead. If you’re after a little bit of SNK nostalgia, though, dive in. [Issue#12, p.86]

Fighting game fans can't really go wrong with King of Fighters XV — a sequel that doesn't shy away from the technical depth of its predecessors. It's obviously still early days, but it feels like SNK has improved upon King of Fighters XIV in all of the ways that matter. Better visuals, expanded mechanics, and, perhaps most importantly, smooth online netcode make for fighter that's hard to fault — even if it's lacking the cutting edge of its peers.

I do admire the developer's desire to maintain the arcade fighter tone and aesthetic in King of Fighters, and I'll forever be a fan of this series as long as they keep dropping Athena into it. The team at SNK are no doubt working on more limited budgets than the big guns, and with the absolute focus on esports in the fighting game space it's no surprise that they've made that a near-perfect experience, even as they've stripped almost everything else out of the game to make that happen. However, there's no way to paper over this; people who do like fighting games in single player or local multiplayer are going to be left feeling very cold, though. Colder than Kula, even. And that's disappointing.

For a lot of fighting game fans, The King of Fighters 15 is exactly what they’ve been looking for - a no frills fighter that focuses on its mechanics and doesn’t hold the player's hand. In a generation where most games in the genre have five-hour campaigns from day one, it’s an admirable stance to take. As much as I love how KoF 15 plays and looks, I can’t help but miss the bells and whistles that are expected. If you’re looking for a fighter that shrugs off that expectation, then the King of Fighters 15 is absolutely for you.

Most King of Fighters veterans and newbies looking for a new title to dive into probably won't care that KoF XV isn't shaking up the fighting game paradigm. It delivers fisticuffs that overflow with a unique style and personality unlike that of other fighting game series, and that's more than enough to satisfy a lot of players. The King is back, and personally, I'm glad to see SNK swinging strong yet again.

The King of Fighters XV seems to be extremely loyal to its philosophy by not making much effort to make the experience more appealing to a wider range of fighting players, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are looking for another Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, you’ll probably be disappointed.

What’s important is that King of Fighters remains an exciting fighting game in XV. Visual style aside, the roster continues to be full of varied characters with interesting movesets, and the underlying mechanics make its matches fast-paced, explosive, and great to watch or play.

While King of Fighters 15 might not have the appeal of games like Mortal Kombat 11 or Street Fighter 5, its complex web of systems provide a satisfying time when they are fully mastered. The story is rather generic and there’s a distinct lack of modes, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to unpack when taking the fight to your opponents.