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The King of Fighters XV[ a ](KOF XV), is a 2022 fighting video game part of the The King of Fighters series, developed by SNK and published by Koch Media for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It uses the same fighting system from The King of Fighters XIV (2016) involving teams composed of three members who oppose other ...
- Taking a step forward by rolling back
- What We Said About The King of Fighters XIV
- Score: 8
- Taking it to the Max
- What series would you most like to see crossover with King of Fighters XV as a team of DLC characters?
- A Royal Invitation
- Hitting Where It Matters Most
- Verdict
- The King of Fighters XV Review
- More Reviews by Mitchell Saltzman
By Mitchell Saltzman
Updated: Feb 11, 2022 5:36 pm
Posted: Feb 11, 2022 4:00 pm
The King of Fighters series has built up a lot of momentum since 1994, and King of Fighters XV certainly keeps that going, if nothing else. The latest in SNK’s premiere fighting games plays it safe by focusing on subtly refining the already solid mechanics of 2016’s King of Fighters XIV and bringing the graphics up to a more modern standard, but never really reaches beyond that in an attempt to take the series to the next level. Because of that lack of ambition it won’t do much to grab the attention of those who don’t already have eyes on the series, but for longtime fans this is a reliable return for the king.
King of Fighters XIV offers an astonishing amount of content, with nearly double the playable characters of most other games available on day one. The fighters themselves are interesting and well designed, both visually and mechanically, and they push limits with an execution ceiling higher than perhaps any other fighting game. King of Fighters XIV...
Read the full The King of Fighters XIV review
On a fundamental level, KOF XV plays very much like a prettier version of KOF XIV. They’re both four-button fighters with two light attacks and two heavy attacks; both have those tricky hops and super hops that help make approaching from the air hard to react to and awkward to punish; every character in both games can roll to safely move through projectiles and close the distance; and both have those auto-combos that people will be arguing about on Reddit threads, message boards, and social media until the end of time. Auto-combos are actually even more powerful this time around as just mashing light punch from close range will net you a four-hit combo that ends with the most powerful super move your meter can afford. If you have at least three meters stored, that’s a nearly 50% damage combo just for hammering a single button. That sounds dramatic, but even the simplest of combos that incorporate a level 3 super can deal more damage than that, and if you were to use KOF’s trademark system of canceling supers into each other, it’s very easy to leave a button masher in the dust. Still, it’s an awfully high reward for a bad habit, which does more harm than good for players truly looking to get into the series.
KOF XV plays very much like a prettier version of KOF XIV
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Beyond the changes to auto-combos, there are two really big changes that keep KOF XV from feeling like a complete retread. The first is a new universal Shatter Strike that will crumple an opponent when it hits, allowing you to extend a combo. More importantly than that, it’s also a great defensive ability that can absorb hits and simultaneously deal one that will stun your opponent, much like a focus attack from Street Fighter 4. I love this addition because, among other things, it gives every character a really strong anti-air option that reduces the need of remembering specific special moves with anti-air properties. KOF XV is a game where jump-ins are extra effective because of the multiple angles of aerial approach that having both short hops and regular jumps allows for, and giving every character an answer to that problem helps to bring up those who don’t have those built-in anti-air options.
Even though 39 is fewer than the number of characters that KOF XIV launched with, KOF XV’s roster is still a very impressive number relative to most fighting games right out of the gate. Newcomers to the series include Dolores, a psychic who looks like she was plucked straight from Bayonetta and uses sacred dirt to attack her foes; Isla, a stylish young girl who fights with phantom hands that allow her to attack from mid range and use some really tricky crossups when she rides them towards her opponents; and Krohnen who – let’s just be real – is basically Tetsuou from Akira.
Apart from those three, who are brand new, Shermie and Elisabeth make their return to the roster [Correction: Chris, Ash, Yashiro and Shizuru also make their return to the roster]. Elisabeth was in KOF XIII and only returns after taking just one game off, but Shermie makes her first return to the mainline franchise since 2002. The other 34 30 have basically been plucked from KOF XIV wholesale, with very little changes outside of better-looking character models. A handful of characters have gotten new level 3 Climax Super Moves, but many others have all of their animations ripped directly from KOF XIV, and that’s kind of disappointing, because even though the new models do look great, they’re just a fresh coat of paint on animations that are now six years old.
While King of Fighters XV is certainly a modern-looking KOF game, it still feels left woefully in the past when it comes to its modes. Its tutorial does the bare minimum of teaching you its mechanics without going any further into conveying when or why you should use things like a MAX Mode (Quick) cancel; its story mode is the same archaic style of arcade mode that just has you fighting a series of uncontextualized battles that culminate in a unfairly balanced boss final boss fight, with the only reward being an unvoiced ending cinematic with static pictures and text boxes; and its mission mode offers only five combos per character. As far as single-player content goes, that’s all there is to it. With games like Mortal Kombat 11, Guilty Gear Strive, and even fighters on the indie scene like Them’s Fightin’ Herds all raising the bar both in terms of how they introduce new players to their mechanics and their single-player story modes, King of Fighters XV feels utterly bare bones by comparison
King of Fighters XV's rollback netcode is fantastic.
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Fortunately, it makes it up in the area that matters the most to fighting game communities: excellent online fighting. Its rollback netcode is fantastic; it’s super easy to set up a private lobby with queues, spectators, and customizable rules; there’s an online training space where you can practice with a friend; you can search replays by character to study up on a match up; and there are both ranked and casual playlists for matchmaking. Of course, this is going off of my pre-launch experience playing against other journalists and content creators, but even in matches against people who were across the country, outside of a small handful of exceptions that weren’t even that bad, performance has been consistently smooth.
King of Fighters XV is not the most ambitious or revolutionary fighting game to come out in recent years, but what few changes have been made to distinguish it from its predecessor are done well. It’s a significant step up over KOF 14 in terms of its detailed character models (if not animations), there are a handful of smart adjustments to its figh...
Review scoring
great
The King of Fighters XV still feels left in the past when it comes to its single player offerings, but what it lacks in ambition, it makes up in solid fundamentals and great netcode that make the online experience the best the series has ever seen.
Mitchell Saltzman
Feb 17, 2022 · The King of Fighters XV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 8 . ... You may have also seen her work at GamerTell, Cheat Code Central, Michibiku and PlayStation LifeStyle.
- Jenni Lada
Feb 23, 2022 · Poke into MAX combos. The biggest problems with a game like King of Fighters XV, once you’ve learnt a few combos, is actually getting to execute them on an opponent. You need to get close enough ...
- Dave Aubrey
Nov 14, 2023 · The King of Fighters XV is the fifteenth numbered fighting game in SNK 's The King of Fighters series. It was released on February 17th, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X. The slogan of the game is "Shatter all expectations", and this mostly applies to the characters; some are in new teams, some old regulars and ...
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Feb 28, 2022 · With The King of Fighters XV, developer SNK took the seed that was KOF XIV, planted it, watered it, and grew one of the best fighting games in recent history. Far more than a new game with fresh ...
