Last month, Japanese gaming industry veteran SNK Playmore announced that it would no longer be producing pachinko machines, and would instead be shifting its focus to its classic franchises, like The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. Yesterday’s PlayStation Experience conference bore the fruits of SNK’s statement as they made several big announcements regarding their upcoming projects, including The King of Fighters XIV, which was announced back in October.
The King of Fighters series is historically known for its painstakingly-fluid sprite animations and its vibrant stage backgrounds, but KoF XIV will be moving into the realm of 3D. A trailer released yesterday showcases some of the game’s combat, as well as the return of several fan favorites, including Billy Kane, Kula, and Angel.
According to the press conference, KoF XIV will feature playable 50 characters. Many fan favorites will join the fray, along with some new faces. A rumored roster list for the game was originally posted on Chinese web service Baidu earlier this year, nine months before KoF XIV was even announced. Leaked lists should always be taken with a grain of salt, but so far, the list is shaping up to be accurate.
KoF XIV’s battle system will follow the tradition three-on-three team format of previous KoF games, with a special “Party Battle Mode” that allows six players to control their own character. The game will also continue the Orochi, Ash, and NESTS story arcs introduced over the course of the series.
Gameplay footage of KoF XIV from PSX 2015 can be seen below.
And a full list of the game’s system mechanics can be found here. Some features, like the auto combo system, are being met with raised eyebrows from KoF fans.
SNKP’s Gio Corsi also made a surprising announcement alongside the KoF reveals: the company will be bringing its 1998 cult classic Last Blade 2 to both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita platforms. SNKP is working closely with Canadian developer Code Mystics to bring the vintage fighter to the aforementioned platforms:
No word has yet been announced on Last Blade 2’s release date, but more details will surely be announced in the coming months.
The King of Fighters XIV will be released in 2016. Its official website can be viewed here.