The King of Fighters XIV Reviews
The King of Fighter XIV channels the spirit of the 90s whilst very subtly evolving to attract more casual players. Coupled with a truly electrifying character roster and robust single player options, the game feels like a legitimate classical experience done justice. It caters to more than just the hardened warriors of yesteryear. If eSports are your forte, though, SNK has you covered with one of the fighting genre’s broadest spectrums of options to tinker with.
The King of Fighters XIV is a solid comeback for the series, and the generally subpar 3D visuals are quickly gotten used to after a few minutes with the game. The proof is in the pudding; the same classic 2D fighting gameplay KOF has been renowned for is meaty, with plenty of depth for series vets to work with, an easier time for newcomers looking to get into it, enough modes for both solo and online players, a supersized character roster, and plenty to unlock in terms of artwork, music and more. Improvements could have been made in other areas, such as the weak story and presentation (menus and models), but more importantly, KOF XIV should have some great competitive legs, and deservedly so.
King of Fighters 14 is rough around the edges and is certainly not a perfect game, but what it lacks in graphics and compelling story it more than makes up for in gameplay. Delivering some of the best fighting in the series to date with fresh takes on old mechanics, any fighting game fan would be missing out if they judged King of Fighters 14 by its graphical punch.
The first 3D outing of the venerable King of Fighters series gets a second chance with King of Fighters 14 Ultimate Edition.
The King of Fighters XIV is an odd beast of a fighting game that has tons of depth and great character variety. It’s not much to look at and it does a terrible job at teaching you how to play, but once you get it down it’s one of the most satisfying fighting games out there to learn and destroy at. If you have the time to get over that brick wall, this will probably be one of your favorite fighting games.
If you’re a fan of King of Fighters then King of Fighters XIV is a welcome new addition to the family. It’s a great fighting game that players of other fighting games can respect and get into quite easily.
This truly is The King of the fighting genre in almost every way
A solid and welcome return
All the depth of 2D King of Fighters, none of the beauty.
King of Fighters XIV has some rough edges, but is outstanding overall.
King of Fighters remains what it has always been with its latest entry: a niche fighter with a great cast, an unforgiving learning curve, and a lot of heart anchored by an incredible fighting engine. It’s not for everyone; no game is. But if you’re willing to dedicate yourself to it, and learn it, it’s a tournament worth entering and a fight worth fighting, all these years later.
While The King of Fighters XIV isn't as flashy or good looking as other recently released fighters, it is jam packed with content by comparison having 50 characters playable on the disc.
King of Fighters XIV brings one of the genre's longest running franchises to the current generation with mixed results visually. The gameplay is deep should players want to explore it and friendly to newcomers just jumping on with the series. The soundtrack is fantastic and the net code is far improved over its predecessor. We have a winner folks.
A more than viable alternative to Street Fighter V, King of Fighters XIV offers up a refined combat system, an incredibly deep and responsive mechanical experience and a huge roster of characters, each with their own subtle martial arts discipline and varied approaches to fighting.
KOF 14 stays true to the KOF formula, but the move from hand-drawn sprites to 3D character models won’t appease everyone. There is the occasional stiff looking animation, but the gameplay and pacing is currently unmatched in any other fighting game series. With a plethora of single-player and multiplayer (both offline and online) KOF 14 is the most content complete fighting game on the market.
A strong release for 2D fighting fans and an overall successful return for one of the genre's most legendary franchises.
The King of Fighters XIV does everything right, in a time where just so much is going wrong with Fighting Games. Where e-Sports are at an unparalleled popularity level and the most popular game caved into the e-Sports distribution model, it’s pretty amazing to see a fighting game that is complete on day one.
The fourteenth episode of King of Fighters is a fighting game that goes straight to the point. It doesen't get lost in useless graphical showoff, and gives back to the fans the good old combat system, flawless and huge.
Review in Italian | Read full review
King of Fighters '94 may be the title that started the entire series but it pales in comparison to its sequels - such as the superb King of Fighters '98, also available on the Switch eShop. With that in mind, there's little point in buying this if you already own that particular title, unless you're keen to see how far the franchise advanced in the four years that separate them. King of Fighters '94 is fun to play and presents a stern challenge, but it's a long way from being the best the lineage has to offer. Unless you're really keen on this entry, you're better off buying King of Fighters '98.
The King of Fighters XIV is a fully featured fighting game. It still feels like its classic predecessors, but it has been updated in some important areas to feel like a modern take. Its roster is both a celebration of the series that also signifies that this is a new step forward. I’m excited to see KoF back in the spotlight, and I hope to see SNK continue building on this great installment.