SciFi Street Fight (Killer Instinct Review)

Quick Facts:

Developers: Rare, Iron Galaxy, Double Helix Games, Microsoft Studios
Initial Release Date: November 22, 2013

Platforms: PC, Xbox ONE

Rating: T (Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence)

The fight had begun. Fireballs and sparks erupted across the battlefield as the two fighters engaged in fierce combat. He sliced through the air with his sword as she blocked each strike with her electrified batons. A floating timer above their heads reminded them that they only had a few seconds left before the fight would end.

Time stopped. The swordsman roared like a tiger, planting his feet in the cracking asphalt. A new fire ignited in his eyes as he started to glow with a faint, yellow aura. His instinct was now active. He flew in with a rapid series of kicks, hoping to knock out the last bit of his opponent's health. Her body shook violently with each blow as she watched the last bit of her health bar slowly chip away. His confidence grew as he started throwing in punches and sword slashes into the combo, increasing it's potential damage. This was his mistake. She smiled and a sudden burst of energy erupted from her.

A loud, deep voice yelled "C-C-Combo Breaker!!" as he flew through the air away from his former victim. Her eyes glowed and she screamed "fire cat!" and summoned an electrified panther to attack her foe. It collided with him across the arena, erupting in a shower of sparks. She followed in pursuit and threw in some kicks and baton strikes, creating a vicious combo of her own. He could not avoid the final blows as his health bar disappeared. 

A bright flash ignited the stage as she continued the combo, altering the music in the background to amplify the effect of her final blows. The stage crumbled and collapsed under the power of her final combo. With one final strike, she launched into the air in a fiery form, bringing him down the hard dirt. The timer stopped, and an excited voice yelled "ULTRAAAAA!!!!" She celebrated by twirling her electric batons and looked directly at me. The fight was over.

In Killer Instinct, every fight is a tense conflict to the end. It is unlike any other fighting game I've ever witnessed due to it's frenetic pace and fascinating visuals. Within moments you will be captivated by the amount of sparks and fireworks exploding across the screen as each combatant releases a series of moves that are unique from a visual and practical standpoint.

Each character is distinct, and none of them play the same as the others. In order to play as a new character, you will have to learn a new series of moves, which may be a turnoff for some, but for those of us who like variety in fighting games, it is a breath of fresh air.

Unlike most fighting games, a lot of the characters in Killer Instinct aren't human. The realism is removed in favor of pure fun, which I can appreciate. It never takes itself too seriously, but it has enough tension to make each fight feel like a desperate conflict. This is a hard balance to strike, but Killer Instinct does it perfectly. Although you may see a cybernetic velociraptor fight off against an undead japanese ghost, you can still feel the tangible tension of a well choreographed fight sequence.

There is a free version to download and play on Xbox One, which features one free character (Jago) and one rotating character (currently a giant gargoyle monster named Gargos), but includes all of the features of the main game including a survival mode, story mode, versus, online play, and a dojo to learn all of the interlocking mechanics. If you want to purchase the full game, you can buy each "season" (which includes eight characters each) for twenty dollars, or buy all three in a pack for around sixty. You can also buy characters individually, which I wouldn't recommend, because they are around five dollars a piece.

This is an amazing game from the start screen to the shining polish of each fight. I recommend it to anyone with even the smallest interest in fighting games, even if you've never held a controller. Just be careful that you don't get too arrogant when pulling off flashy combos, because you just never know when your combos, like your newly developed confidence, will be broken.