Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, there were many staples that littered the arcades. If you were lucky enough, your arcade packed the action and thrills of The Lost World or Time Crisis. But it was the fighting game section that really dominated a Friday night. Two franchises in particular ruled the scene. Capcom’s famous Street Fighter series and SNK’s team-based The King of Fighters duked it out at almost every arcade.



With almost 20 years separating that era from our current times, The King of Fighters XV has taken a rather safe approach as it leads the charge of fighting games for 2022. The series has introduced its fair share of characters, mechanics, and fantastic stage music, but it still holds true to its core three-on-three experience. The rather robust range of fighters have all been tweaked to accommodate the new mechanics, as well as been given questionable auto combos to make the series more enticing for newcomers.

The game still has a rather steep learning curve that longstanding fans will enjoy sinking their teeth into.

That being said, The King of Fighters XV remains true to its intricate combos and techniques, making almost every character feel like they bring something unique to the team. The game still has a rather steep learning curve that longstanding fans will enjoy sinking their teeth into, but it’s sad to see SNK not opt for more offline support to master characters. The basic offline modes are there, albeit a little barebones in comparison to other modern fighting games.



The story is a series of fights against the CPU leading to an incredibly difficult final boss. While there are some instances of unique dialogue, the story mode’s payoff is a special ending for each of the game’s teams. However, it doesn’t take long before you realize it’s a few stills with text that has some questionable dialogue and lacks any real substance. Grinding through the story will unlock some amazing soundtracks, where a DJ Station lets you select which tracks you want to play on each stage. You also get soundtracks from the likes of Metal Slug, which is a nostalgic treat to play on its respective stage.

Deciding which member of your team goes first can be crucial to winning a game.

The aforementioned roster sits at a staggering 39 characters at launch. While this may not seem like much, compared to previous entries in the series, the fighters are incredibly diverse. Building a team can accommodate various archetypes, from zoners and grapplers to rushdown characters, making you experiment until you find a team that is perfectly balanced to suit your needs. The game features a three-on-three setup, but the crux of the gameplay still remains as one-on-one duels. Deciding which member of your team goes first can be crucial to winning a game.



There’s a nice level of tactical gameplay that SNK have managed to hone over the last few years, and that is especially present in The King of Fighters XV. While staples like Kyo, Terry, King, and Iori are part of the starting lineup, three new character (Delores, Isla, and Krohnen) join the roster to bring some fresh and unique playstyles.

Both newcomers and returning fans won’t have to wait very long before seeing the depth each character has to offer. The King of Fighters XV encourages players to make use of the long move lists with its tutorial and Challenge mode. However, you will have to learn how to master characters on your own. At minimum, you would have to look at mastering at least three of the 39 characters, which lends to the game’s intricacy.



The King of Fighters XV doesn’t feature a tag battle system like most team fighters, but replaces that need with movelists that can allow for some incredible comeback plays. KOF XV feels right at home for those who have played the SNK franchise before. Many of the traditional movelists have been carried over, with a few tweaks to accommodate for a few gameplay changes.

KOF XV feels right at home for those who have played the SNK franchise before.

New mechanics such as Shatter Strike allow for a fast, armoured hit that can extend combos and bring other benefits for those willing to learn how to make full use of it. There is also the addition of Quick Mode, which is less powerful than the traditional Max Mode, but uses less meter to execute. This can be especially useful for those who need to save as much meter for the final match as possible, but don’t want their opponent to overwhelm them while doing so.



You can’t Max Cancel, but you are able to combo immediately into the next action without leaving an opening for your opponent. The more divisive addition are Auto Combos. These combos can be done by simply mashing the light button. If you have enough meter, you can finish your opponents off with Special or Climax moves. While this is a good way for beginners to understand combos, the game is a lot more rewarding when you take the time to learn the more complex combos.

SNK may not have met the modern standard for single player modes, the online gameplay has definitely been improved. The implementation of rollback netcode is a welcomed addition to the series, and matches have little to no input lag when playing online. Most players will be spending most of their time online, and the experience will be almost without any fault. Online game modes only consist of casual, ranked, and rooms, which is par for the course. Matches feel seamless thanks to the PlayStation 5’s SSD and the amazing netcode. Players playing in games with up to 200 ping shouldn’t experience any technical difficulties, which will definitely prolong the lifespan of the game.



SNK have pulled out all the stops with the visual experience of the game. Both stages and characters look far better than the offerings from The King of Fighters XIV, with the art style feeling a lot closer to the classic look and feel of older KOF games. While there are some characters that share the same animations as KOF XIV, SNK have polished the models and stages with better textures and smoother animations, which gives a better overall 2.5D feel when fighting.

SNK have done a brilliant job with the art style and overall package of the game.

Sound design has to applauded along side this, with KOF XV featuring some of the best library of tracks in the series to date. This is only enhanced by the sound effects used in-game for Super and Climax moves. SNK have done a brilliant job with the art style and overall package of the game, which shows some promise for future SNK titles.



The King of Fighters XV is a worthy upgrade for the series, with SNK staying true to the classic experience of King of Fighters and introducing some worthwhile changes that make the game feel refreshing without deviating from what made the series classic in the first place. While it may not have managed to keep up with the times in every regard, The King of Fighters XV doubled down on the fundamentals and released a technically worthy successor to the series. While SNK still have a way to go with its fighting game series, the team have done enough to prove that the King of Fighters franchise is here to stay. From the revitalized visuals to the incredibly smooth netcode and intricate gameplay, KOF XV is a much needed return to form for the franchise.



*PS5 Review code provided by SNK