The King of Fighters '96 is a 1996 fighting game. It is the third game in The King of Fighters series, following The King of Fighters '95. SNK's flagship series returns for another year. Many of the changes in this year's KOF release come in the form of improved graphics, sound effects, music and totally redone character sprites. The gameplay of the system has been altered with the addition of "Rush" multi-hit combos and new moves for practically every character. The storyline of the series receives heavy focus in this release with the Orochi Saga swinging into high-gear. The King of Fighters '96 has 27 regular characters plus 2 boss characters (who can be unlocked with the use of a code). Newcomers to the tournament include Mr. Big from the Art of Fighting series, the bosses from Fatal Fury (Wolfgang Krauser and Geese Howard), and completely original characters like Leona Heidern, Mature and Vice. Other features carried over from the previous year include the ability to choose between the default "Team Fighting" mode or the traditional "Single Fighter" style of gameplay, plus the "Versus" and "Survival" gameplay modes.
FightingActionmartial artshand-to-hand combatkaratehigh scoreplaystation networkshared screendigital distributionpsone classicsspecial attacksyear in the titletag teamingplaystation tv supportArcade, Neo Geo AES, PlayStation 3, Wii, Sega Saturn, PlayStation
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Character
Earnest, plot-driven, grave and classical in form.
- earnestironic
- character-ledplot-driven
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- cooloverwhelming
Who loves it, who doesn't
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Reviews
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About the game
- Platforms
- Arcade, Neo Geo AES, PlayStation 3, Wii, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable, Neo Geo CD
- Developer
- SNK
- Publisher
- SNK, SNK Playmore, D4 Enterprise
- Released
- July 30, 1996
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Perspective
- Side view
- Engine
- Neo Geo MVS
IGDB rating 7.2/10 from 50 ratings.
Screenshots
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
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Mega Man II 199185% alikeBoth earnest, plot-driven, classical in form.
The King of Fighters 2003 200384% alikeBoth earnest, plot-driven, grave.
Street Fighter IV 200884% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, plot-driven.
The Immortal Ascension 202569% alikeSeries · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
The Time Tunnel 196667% alikeSeries · Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
