If you’re looking for another fighting game franchise to binge on that’s not Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, then SNK might just have the thing! Established fighitng game series the King of Fighters has made a triumphant return on current-gen consoles. Offering a revamped style, UI and smooth gameplay, but does King of Fighters XV hold up? Read on for our review.

The Return of a King

King of Fighters XV offers a total of 39 characters at launch, with plenty more to come via DLC later this year. Nearly everyone’s favorite characters make a triumphant return to King of Fighters XV, and for those new to the series, you’ll enjoy the variety of fighting styles it has to offer. With any fighting game, there comes a selection of stages to do combat on. These stages, as like the fighters, are filled with variety, from beaches to construction zones, to even more traditional champion stages. They feel lively with background NPCs chanting the players during their fights, as well as other neat little background activities.

Hopefully more are coming as future downloadable content.

As for gameplay, King of Fighters XV brings its own smoothness of style that can’t be matched by any other fighter — least in my opinion. And with a large collections of fighters to go through, variety is key, as KOFXV presents itself with all the fundamental archetypes. From slow paced brawlers, to quick chaining combo assassins, whatever the type of fighter you are, KOFXV will certainly have a fighter that suits your play style best.

That, of course, adds to the competitive scene of King of Fighters XV. While I can’t comment how active it will be post-launch, I do expect to see it make its way through the eSports scene; especially considering the performance was topnotch on the Xbox Series X, supplying a buttery smooth experience.

For those planning on playing the game casually, you’ll be glad to know that KOFXV  continues with the series’ long running story, offering one of the most climatic yet. No spoilers of course, but know you’ll be in for one epic ride.

One of the nicer features is the gallery replay, just in case you happened to miss or want to relive through some of the best story moments. There are also bonus cinematics you can obtain when you complete the story mode with certain characters in your roster. There’s plenty of reasons to keep you going back to play.

Of course, you can’t have a fantastic fighting game without a killer soundtrack, and King of Fighters XV delivers that in such a fantastic way. The selection of music produced for the King of Fighters XV always keeps your blood pumping to get you to achieve the long awaited victory when the opponent has finally been KO’d. The music has a nice variety, and you are guaranteed to find a music track that is to your liking.

Verdict

The King is back. If you are a newcomer to the series, it is a fantastic game to start on your KOF journey. Returners will have a blast with the classic characters returning and the beautiful style improvements. You can preorder the Ultimate Edition to get three days of early access to The King of Fighters XV.

Score: 9/10

Pros:

• Great selection of classic characters
• Killer music
• Smooth flowing gameplay
• Movie gallery to view missed cinematics

Cons:

• Menu can be cumbersome (A very minor con)

The King of Fighters XV review code was provided by the publisher. Main version tested was Xbox Series. You can read SP1st and MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.