The King of Fighters 15 is a Traditional Fighter in a Sea of Casual Titles
The King of Fighters 15 marks the return of the long-running fighting game franchise, six years after the release of The King of Fighters 14, and much has changed within the fighting game genre. Netherrealm Studios has solidified its position as the most popular fighting game creator on the market with its Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles. Arc System Works has become one of the most sought after developers on the scene with its Guilty Gear series, as well as its super successful Dragon Ball FighterZ title. Capcom’s fall from grace has been punctuated with the lukewarm initial response to Street Fighter 5 and the failure of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite.
Capcom initially developed Street Fighter 5 to be more acceptable to a casual audience, and it did this by widening combo timing and simplifying game mechanics. However, this also resulted in a lot of restrictions, mostly as a response to the competitive scene. Ultimately, the game had a rocky start, being released as an incomplete package at launch that it never recovered from. However, many games since Street Fighter 5 have built upon the initially restrictive design and made enjoyable fighting games out of that design philosophy. After The King of Fighters 15 was announced, some wondered if the series would follow suit.
The King of Fighters 15: The Story So Far
After Street Fighter 5, fighting game mechanics in games became more simplified, timings became less strict, and move commands were made easier. Where a super move before used to require a complicated motion on the d-pad or arcade stick that's different for each character, it now can be done with just a couple of button pushes that is the same for all characters.
For instance, Samurai Shodown used to have a rage move
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