is a 2016 fighting game developed by KOF Studio and published by SNK. It is the fourteenth main installment in The King of Fighters series. It is the first game in the series to be rendered entirely in 3D, although gameplay is restricted to a 2D plane. The game was released worldwide for the PlayStation 4 in August 2016 and ported to Windows and Japanese arcade cabinets in June 2017.
The development of The King of Fighters XIV began in April 2014, after SNK's CEO Eikichi Kawasaki who reoriented the company toward traditional video games after several years of focus on Pachinko-style slot machines and mobile apps. Yasuyuki Oda, who previously worked on Capcom's Street Fighter IV and other titles by SNK, directed the game. It retains the series' system of teams composed of three fighters while introducing "Rush Combo", an automatic combo system designed to make the series more accessible for new players. The game received post-release downloadable content support through new characters, alternative outfits and patches to improve the game's visuals. Kyōtarō Azuma wrote a spin-off manga series, The King of Fighters: A New Beginning, published from 2018 to 2020.
The King of Fighters XIV received generally favorable reviews. Critics praised the game's fighting system as enjoyable for both new players and fighting game experts, but criticized its graphics as inferior to other fighting games released for the eighth generation of video game consoles. The game was a commercial success by according to Oda as SNK was remade thanks to its achievements, reaching 920,000 copies sold by combining the PS4 port and the Steam port. A sequel, The King of Fighters XV, was released in 2022.
Gameplay
The King of Fighters XIV features full 3D models like its spin-off The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact against a 2D background. The player can select a three-character team. In the game's story, the characters often interact depending on their relationships. After eight rounds, the player fights two bosses.
The game introduced a system known as the Max Mode. While in Max Mode, the player can perform an unlimited amount of named EX, special moves superior than the regular moves for a short time, with the timer changing in response to the character's position. The characters use three types of Supers: Super Special Moves, Max Super Special Moves, and a new type called Climax Super Special Moves. Max Super Special Moves require two power bars (located in the screen's bottom), in to execute—one if Max Mode is activated. Climax Super Special Moves are the strongest in the game, requiring three power gauges, or two while Max Mode is active. The game also features the Just Defend mechanic which allows the players to parry enemies' moves.
For beginners, there is an automatic feature called Rush Combo. When performing a Rush, the player can create combos of special attacks as well as Desperation Moves if the energy bar is filled. Techniques created by the Rush system produce less damage than ones performed manually. The online lobby has modes called team VS, single VS, and party VS; up to 12 players can enter and spectate.
Plot The King of Fighters XIV takes place four years after the 2010 events of The King of Fighters XIII. A Russian billionaire named Antonov buys the rights to the King of Fighters competitions to host a new tournament in which veterans and newcomers compete. Following the competition, the chosen faces Antonov. In the aftermath, the winning team must confront a strange, threatening entity named Verse. This anomaly attracts characters from other dimensions, timelines and universes. Following Verse's defeat, some characters take missions to confront people revived through this mysterious enemy.
Characters
The King of Fighters XIV includes 16 teams of three fighters, a sub-boss, a final boss, and eight downloadable fighters, totaling 58 fighters:
Team Japan Kyo Kusanagi Benimaru Nikaido Goro Daimon
Official Invitation Team Sylvie Paula Paula Kukri Mian
Team South America Nelson Zarina Bandeiras Hattori
Team Yagami Iori Yagami Mature Vice
Team Kim Kim Kaphwan Gang-Il Luong
Team Mexico Ramón Ángel King of Dinosaurs
Another World Team Nakoruru Mui Mui Love Heart
Villains Team Xanadu Chang Koehan Choi Bounge
Team China Shun'ei Tung Fu Rue Meitenkun
K' Team K' Kula Diamond Maxima
Ikari Warriors Ralf Jones Clark Still Leona Heidern
Team South Town Geese Howard Billy Kane Hein
Fatal Fury Team Terry Bogard Andy Bogard Joe Higashi
Women Fighters King Mai Shiranui Alice
Psycho Soldiers Athena Asamiya Sie Kensou Chin Gentsai
Art of Fighting Team Ryo Sakazaki Robert Garcia Yuri Sakazaki
Single Entry/Sub Boss Antonov
Boss Verse
DLC
Season 1 Whip Ryuji Yamazaki Vanessa Rock Howard Season 2 Heidern Oswald Najd Blue Mary
Development The King of Fighters XIV was made when SNK's then-CEO Eikichi Kawasaki decided the company should return to producing appealing fighting games rather than Pachinko-style slot machines and mobile apps. The game began full production in April 2014 using staff from Esaka. The development team wanted the game to be easy to play and as popular as The King of Fighters '98 and KOF 2002. While The King of Fighters XIII was a success, the staff said it was challenging to new players. Accordingly, they intended to combine the simplicity of KOF '98 with the Quick Max features of KOF 2002 and the method used to manage meters in KOF XIII.
The King of Fighters XIV was first announced at the Sony Computer Entertainment press conference for the 2015 Tokyo Game Show and was present at the PlayStation Experience 2015. SNK chose to develop the game for the PlayStation 4 because of the console's high worldwide sales. The company did not want to add a new system to the game, but made some changes in response to The King of Fighters XIII; they had yet to decide whether they would update the game or leave it as a single release followed by sequels. In August 2016, their staff decided to advance the new plot through a sequel.
Engine In October 2015, it was confirmed Yasuyuki Oda, the battle designer of Street Fighter IV, would direct The King of Fighters XIV. This was his first contribution to the franchise, leading a younger staff. Oda claimed the KOF franchise was unique for its fast-paced combat and how players have to react to the game's mechanics. During Oda's first employment at SNK, games like Virtua Fighter motivated him to make a 3D game after his departure. When he returned, he transitioned the King of Fighters series from 2D to 3D, though the adaption of some characters was more difficult than others. 3D models for characters like Leona Heidern were more difficult than those for Chang Koehan.
SNK developed the game engine internally. They considered using Unreal Engine 4, but decided against using the version at the time since it did not fit with SNK's budget and goals. Rather than using cel-shaded graphic, the staff adhered to Oda and Kuroki's vision for the King of Fighters series to follow the '94's style. According to the developer Neo_G, Neo Geo games of that vintage have a look that tried to imitate reality using pixels. According to Oda, the series always had tall, realistic characters until XIII, which uses a style similar to anime. The original game has realistic visuals which clash with character models like Kula Diamond and Athena Asamiya, so they chose the current look. The team, however, received negative feedback about the game's visuals due to being too different from the original ones. As a result, the company worked in order to make the cast look like usual.
The development team found running the game at 60 frames per second (fps) in full HD challenging. The demand for 60 fps over more detailed graphics was made to ensure the game would perform well online. To save production time and budget, Oda allowed three characters to have obscured faces so they would not require facial animations. Sound director Hideki Asanaka had problems incorporating all the sound effects for the 3D game. The team used camerawork in every Max Super Desperation Move and Climax Super Special Move to make them look stylish. Hayato Watanabe created the battle design; Eisuke Ogura was the main artist.
Cast The King of Fighters (KOF) is known for its large character roster. On December 5, 2015, at PlayStation Experience, SNK confirmed a 50-character roster for the game. Oda said while researching for the game's new characters, they avoided stereotypes like Japanese sumo wrestlers to produce more diversity in the cast which includes characters of various nationalities. Oda coined the term "Kyo-ify" based on the series' main character Kyo Kusanagi in regards to the stylishness presented in the cast. As a result, Oda wanted the fighters to look as appealing as Kyo. Art director Nobuyuki Kuroki found it unfair that only a few designers were included on the staff. Oda created Antonov by mixing traits SNK founding owner, Chairman Kawasaki, and Mr. T, an executive at the time, and divides it by the cosmological constant.https://x.com/snk_oda/status/1842226966617010615
Keisuke Ogura created newcomers Shun'ei and Sylvie, distancing them from previous veterans. He was also in charge of Athena's look as the character always wears different clothing. Kuroki regarded Shun'ei as important to the narrative, desiring his personality to contrast previous leads. Main characters Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami underwent a major redesign to fit the series' new story arc while at the same time the development team tried to keep their appeal intact. Kuroki said he made this move despite fearing a negative response based on the rivals' popularity.
SNK was satisfied with the way the Chinese market received the game even though it was slightly censored in the country. One roster is composed entirely of returning characters, while another has mostly new characters, so the staff selected from all of them, wanting to give the roster some regional colors, grouping teams by countries and concepts, such as a female fighters team. They also confirmed the game was 70% completed by December 2015.
Ogura denied speculation that King of Dinosaurs was a redesign of Tizoc from Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and said they just had similar fighting styles. However, upon the game's release, fans found out that King of Dinosaurs and Tizoc were the same character. In the Neo Geo era of the series, developers could not add Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown because of the KOF engine's limitations. When the character was revealed in KOF XIV, her popularity surprised the developers who indicated that in spite of the Orochi clan members' deaths in the series' first story arc, they might consider adding them depending on the storyline.
Before being added as DLC characters, SNK also considered Blue Mary and Ryuji Yamazaki from the Fatal Fury series for the base roster, but they wanted the game to feel more like The King of Fighters. They noted the game lacked characters from Art of Fighting and attempted to add Jack Turner and John Crawley. However, Oda declined to do this because of their lack of popularity. The developers considered Rock Howard from Garou: Mark of the Wolves for inclusion but found it complicated due to chronology issues: Rock had appeared in previous KOF as a child rather than a teenager so it was not possible to incorporate him to the cast.
Release