The King of Fighters XIV The King of Fighters XIV Main visual, showing Kyo, Iori, Shun'ei, Mai and Nakoruru Developer s , Abstraction Games Steam Publisher s SNK Asia , Atlus America , Deep Silver Europe , Taito Arcade , Valve Steam Release date PlayStation 4 JP August 25, 2016 NA August 23, 2016 EU August 26, 2016 Arcade JP June 29, 2017 Microsoft Windows Steam: INT June 15, 2017 AS June 16, 2017 Genre Fighting game Game modes Single-player, multiplayer Ratings PlayStation 4 Teen ESRB 12 PEGI C CERO Platform s PlayStation 4, Arcade, Microsoft Windows The King of Fighters XIV is the fourteenth and latest installment of series. It was first announced during the SCEJA Press Conference 2015. This game is the first chapter of another canonical saga for the series. According to him, the two major reasons for making the transition to 3D is to adapt to high-end machines and give 3D experience to SNK so they can compete in the console market again. He thinks it's difficult to properly convey the KOF cast's charm in 3D but expects the models to continue improving from its initial revealing. Oda hopes to cater to fans of , and with this game's mechanics and improve the online matchmaking for this entry. A graphical patch Ver 1. On April 5, 2017, the 2. On April 12, 2018, the 3. Development After considering the current market and the future, the staff agreed that things would be best if they challenged 3D right now and started building up experience, knowledge and libraries in their company. They were considering using the Unreal Engine but decided not to because SNK didn't feel confident after overviewing the potential risks and budget. Originally the game used a more realistic style, but it was eventually tweaked so it would not clash with certain characters' designs. Now that times have changed, even if doing 2D he'd rather take a different approach than pixel art. There was the option of having a variable framerate, but the team decided to keep it consistent partially due to concerns about the quality of the online multiplayer. To save production time and budget, he allowed for three characters to obscure their faces so they would not require facial animations. One of them is making the KOF series, and they barely had enough staff to make XIV. Story has become a major business, generating huge profits and numerous spin-off tournaments worldwide. However, this led to a lowering of the overall quality, and voices began to rise across the globe demanding the formation of one unique, worldwide KOF competition. The announcement of a new KOF Tournament created unprecedented enthusiasm around the world. This excitement reached many of the classic participants of the legendary tournament directly in the form of an official invitation... Gameplay Gameplay of Kyo vs. However the fighting area remains on a strictly two-dimensional plane and keeps the same basic mechanics as its predecessors. New Max mode systems allows players to access the EX special moves; activating this state requires one bar of the power gauge. EX super move can also be executed with just one attack button, instead of two. Some characters gain new moves as a Climax DM, while others instead have their prior Neo Max reprised as a Climax DM. Super Cancels are now based on 2003 along with XI's Dream Cancel, except it is now available to all members and has new traits available, such canceling a normal DM to an EX or Climax DM, or EX DM into a Climax DM. Yuri, right after applying her Climax move in Leona. Repeatedly hit the light punch button to perform an automatic combo attack called Rush mode; this will do lower damage compared to normal combo attacks. Online multiplayer mode will feature a Party Battle mode which will allow three players to form a single team together to challenge another three player team. Players will be allowed to choose the same character if they wish while forming teams. The lobby is designed to support up to twelve players so spectators can join to watch the match up with an integrated voice and text chat. Players will be allowed to set their online profiles to be private. An online training mode is available as well. Characters XIV also marks a huge change for the series in that the large majority of the returning cast now sport new voice actors, including those who have been voiced by the same actors since their debut or for several years. The exceptions include Benimaru, Athena, King, Kula, Maxima, Geese, Chang, Choi, Whip and Oswald. Characters with recent changes, such as Kim, Nakoruru, Mai, and Ralf still retain their new voices. Names in bold denote new fighters. Note 2: When the player fights in DLC stages or in the Training Stage only in Versus Mode , the music of the stage is associated to the first character chosen to fight. In the Story Mode and Versus Mode against CPU, it's the first character in the right team; in Versus Mode with two players and we fight in the Training Stage, it's the first character of the left team. Numerous sponsorship boards line the arena along with low fences to keep the fight contained to the platform. In the background, a billboard with portraits of the active fighters can be seen. There is a view over a calm bay in the background, and the stage takes place at night, with the sky filled with black clouds and a small full moon in the distant background. Similar to the Korea stage in. Takes place amidst the gas station pumps of a truck stop diner in the middle of the desert the dinner visible on the right side of the stage. Spectators are casually gathered around to witness the battle and semi-trucks can be seen parked on the left side of the stage. Jet fighters are positioned in the foreground, whilst the carrier's control tower is in the background. The stage takes place at night, with dark clouds and a crescent moon visible in the sky. Similar to the Rivals Team stage in. The pews can be seen up the center while statues and stained glass windows adorn the side opposite the crumbled wall. An elaborate centerpiece of Buddhist statues adorns the middle of the room and thick, red, Asian-inspired columns flank it to the left and right. A pair of vases and a large ceremonial drum are placed in the area in front of the centerpiece. The floor is composed of finely polished wood and rainfall can be seen outside. An American flag banner is hanging from the awning, alluding to Geese's affinity for blending American and Asian culture. The stage takes place at sunset, and there are two small fountains, one on each edges of the stage, with the fountain on the left being in the foreground and the fountain on the right being further away. Similar to the Women Fighters Team stages in and. The battle takes place in a roped-off area in the center of the restaurant. In the background people can be seen sitting and observing the aquatic life swim by the large glass panes that separate them from the water outside. Marine life such as whales and sharks can be seen passing outside. Similar to Aquarium stage in. This stage takes place at night with a full moon, and the city's downtown district is visible across the river in the background. The river features a multi-decked boat with a large dragon-shaped prow. There are two suspended cages, an empty cage on the left edge of the screen and another cages with a prisoners inside near the center and in the left. The fighting area is surrounded by a castle like stone wall, with numerous red and gold banners hanging from the wall; the banner in the top-center reads 'THE KING OF FIGHTERS'. There are several costumed figures, including two stilt-walkers, standing in the foreground watching the fight, with the central figure wearing a large cartoonish bodysuit of a patchwork animal in a witch's hat holding a staff. There are three dioramas of fairground rides just behind the costumed figures; the one on the left is of a 'teacup' ride, the one on the right is of a rollercoaster, and the one in the center is of a carousel. The carousel has a large sign on the bottom reading 'THE KING OF FIGHTERS SPECIAL PARADE'. Spectators are seen at the ground level watching the brawl. In the background, can be seen the. The platform has a pagoda-like gold sculpture on the right side, whilst the left side has an archway with some sort of decorative tassel hanging in the center. The stage is set on a balcony in the midst of several rainforest plants such as palm trees. In the distant background a large waterfall can be seen cascading down the sheer cliffs. The balcony is covered in glowing blue hexagonal tiles and there are several domed structures erected on the cliff-side. The battle takes place on the stage and the wealthy elite mill around at ground level and in the upper balconies, all wearing face masks to keep with the masquerade theme. Banners with sponsorship logos can be seen surrounding the stage and pegasus statues are situated at opposite ends of the stage. An outdoor stage area surrounded by packed grandstands and cameras both on the ground and raised above the fight via boom arms. In the background a platform can be seen, presumably where the winning team will receive their commendation. The back wall is covered in white tiles whilst the floor is covered in grey tiles. There are several thick black lines painted across the tiles, including vertically across the center, the left edge and the right edge, as well as horizontally across the floor; the combatants stand upon this horizontal line whilst fighting. The vertical line across the center features a small gold shield positioned halfway up the wall, with the letters 'KOF' engraved across it. The differences between the versions of the stage are: the crowd, the sponsors, flags, an animated panel with Antonov's photo and can be seen a truck passing, with covers of SNK games in the carriage. The differences between the versions of the stage are: the logo in the wagon floor, outdoors over all the stage and can be spotted crates, barrels and bags. Can be seen the AMBC's cameraman, a zeppelin broadcasting images of the fight, some people also present in the City Circuit and Navajoland stages, besides flags with the championship logo and the sponsors. Comic On January 31, 2017, SNK announced a manhua which would cover the game's main story. The first chapter is released on February 1, 2017. The series ended with only 8 chapters released. A new manga series titled illustrated by Kyoutarou Azuma is released on January 1, 2018. The series is published bi-weekly on Pocket Shonen Magazine online and is collected monthly on the Shonen Sirius magazine.
