The King of Fighters XV review: The king still rules

digitaltrends.com:

When SNK announced the grand return of its flagship fighting game series, The King of Fighters, I was skeptical. With current fighting game development trends seeing many classic franchises watered down, could there really be another great KOF entry left in the series?

After finally getting to try The King of Fighters XV, I quickly found out the answer is “yes.” The King of Fighters XV is a game that looks to the past for the best inspiration possible, remembers its core, and doesn’t let go of the classic team-based gameplay philosophy that defines the series. It accomplishes that perfectly without dumbing itself down in the slightest, remaining beginner-friendly and looking great with its new polished graphics.

The King of Fighters XV is a traditional 2D fighting game that truly feels like it’s returning to form and broadening its horizons in a world where its peers have devolved in hopes of bringing in new players. This new entry in the KOF series takes that flawed philosophy and throws it to the side, challenging new and old players alike to come and master all of its mechanics.

Like previous entries, this is a team-based 3v3 fighting game (though it features a 1v1 mode as well) and it separates itself from the competition with a unique system. Your three characters have different life bars, but all share a super meter. When one is knocked out, the next takes over and is granted an extra bar, which can go up to five stocks. Upon beating an opposing character, your current character’s life bar will refill a small amount. This system — along with the classic KOF movement options like runs, short hops, and hyper hops — are all intact for this installment.

Despite sticking to its guns, KOF XV feels like a breath of fresh