''(KOF XIII)'' is a
fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
in ''
The King of Fighters
''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main plat ...
'' series, developed and published by
SNK Playmore
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
originally in 2010. ''King of Fighters XIII'' was released for Japanese
arcades on July 14, 2010, while ports for the
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
were released during late 2011 in Japanese and English regions, with
Atlus USA
Atlus West, formerly known as Atlus U.S.A., Inc., is the North American publishing branch of Japanese video game company Atlus, primarily known for localizing games for both them and other third-party developers. Its first original role-playin ...
and
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games Limited is a British video game publisher based in Hitchin.
History
Rising Star Games was founded on 10 July 2004 by Martin Defries as a joint venture between Bergsala Holding and Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment ...
being in charge of releasing them in the United States and Europe respectively. Versions for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android followed in 2011 and 2012. A PC version was released on Steam on September 13, 2013.
The game is set after the events from ''
The King of Fighters XI
''(KOF XI)'' is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series following '' The King of Fighters 2003''. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswa ...
'' and is also the conclusion of
Ash Crimson
is a video game character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting ...
's
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
, which started in ''
The King of Fighters 2003
''(KOF 2003, or KOF '03)'', also known by fans as is a fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms in 2003. It is the tenth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the last one released for the Neo Geo, ...
''. It follows another King of Fighters tournament secretly hosted by Those From the Distance Land, the organization behind the events from the two prior games that are trying to break the seal of the demon Orochi and take its power.
Released after ''
The King of Fighters XII
(''KOF XII'') is the twelfth installment of ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games developed and published by SNK Playmore. The game was originally released in Japan in April 2009 for arcades. Home versions of the title for Xbox 360 an ...
'', the game was directed by Kei Yamamoto who wanted to bring elements from prior ''The King of Fighters'' titles and fix issues from the prior game. This title significantly modifies the gameplay from its predecessor, removing some modes, and adding ones formerly used in the series. It also expands the character roster, re-grouping the playable characters into three-member teams as in the prior installments. The ports are notable for including more content than the original version such as new characters, stages and game modes. Critical reception has been positive.
Gameplay
The game removes some of the
gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...
system features used in the
prior game: the Guard Attack, the Critical Counter, the Clash System, as well as the dynamic, zooming camera. In their place, three new features have been added. The first of the three is the new EX Mode, which convert each character's super moves into more powerful versions that allows one bar from the player's power gauge for EX Special Moves and two bars from the player's power gauge for EX Super Special Moves. Another new feature is the Hyper Drive mode, which gives the player unlimited use of Drive Cancels for a while once the Hyper Drive Gauge has been maxed, and the last new feature confirmed for the game is the Drive Cancel, which opens up new
combo
Combo may refer to: Technology
*Combo television unit, a television with either a VCR or a DVD player built into a single unit
* Combo drive, a type of optical drive that can read CDs and DVDs
*A guitar amplifier incorporating one or more loudsp ...
possibilities. The game also marks the return of the multi-bar power gauge that was introduced in ''
The King of Fighters '97
''(KOF '97)'' is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console in 1997. It is the fourth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series. It was ported to the Neo-Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in Japan ...
''.
[ In addition to standard and EX Desperation Moves, a new class of Desperation Move called Neo Max is included in the game and require that three stocks of gauge be exchanged to perform one, making it similar to Hidden Super Desperation Moves from '']The King of Fighters 2002
''(KOF 2002, or KOF '02)'' is a fighting game produced by Eolith and Playmore for the Neo Geo in 2002. It is the ninth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the second one to be produced by Eolith and developed by Playmore (formerly Brez ...
'' and Leader Super Special Moves from ''The King of Fighters 2003
''(KOF 2003, or KOF '03)'', also known by fans as is a fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms in 2003. It is the tenth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the last one released for the Neo Geo, ...
''. These can also be cancelled from standard Desperation Moves, making them similar to the Dream Cancels from ''The King of Fighters XI
''(KOF XI)'' is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series following '' The King of Fighters 2003''. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswa ...
''.
The console version is based on the 1.1 update of ''The King of Fighters XIII'' arcade which fixed several issues from the original version. It also contains a story mode that influenced by the player's actions with various perspectives being available. The mode is presented in visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
style alongside fights, something considered to be hard to include in the arcade version by the SNK Playmore staff. Other modes shown are Arcade, Practice and Challenge. The online gameplay is based on the one included in later versions of ''The King of Fighters XII'', which fixed the issues the initial one had.
Plot
The game takes place after ''The King of Fighters XI
''(KOF XI)'' is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series following '' The King of Fighters 2003''. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswa ...
'' and is the last game of the third story arc that started in ''The King of Fighters 2003
''(KOF 2003, or KOF '03)'', also known by fans as is a fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms in 2003. It is the tenth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the last one released for the Neo Geo, ...
''. The fighter Ash Crimson
is a video game character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting ...
has absorbed the powers from two of the descendants of the clans who sealed the Orochi away 1,800 years ago, Chizuru Kagura
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
and Iori Yagami
is a fictional character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' video game series. The character first appeared in ''The King of Fighters '95'' as the leader of the Rivals Team, as the initial enemy and later rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is the he ...
, while Kyo Kusanagi
is a fictional character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japanese team from the series' title tournament. K ...
is to be his last victim. As his former comrade, Elisabeth Blanctorche
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
, prepares to stop him, fighters receive an invitation to another King of Fighters tournament hosted by a person labelled as "R". The tournament is sponsored by Rose who is being controlled by "Those From The Past", the organization behind the two prior tournaments that has been trying to break Orochi's seal.
When the winning team reaches the game's end, Saiki, the leader of "Those From The Past" puts his work into motion. Saiki intends to use the energy expended by the winning team to enable him to cross time. However, as the fight rages, Botan notes that the gate that links them to the past is starting to close despite the battle. Before Saiki can act, he is ambushed by Ash Crimson, who steals his power. It is revealed then that, while Ash was enlisted by Saiki to obtain the Three Sacred Treasures to power the time gate, Ash had no intention of helping Saiki. Ash is suddenly overtaken by Saiki's persona, who then attempts to cross the time gate in Ash's body. The winning team pursues him into the time gate and the final battle of ''The King of Fighters XIII'' begins inside the time gate. Saiki is defeated in the gate but persists on crossing over to the past, believing it means nothing since he can return to the past and then cross the gate again to attempt his plan anew. However, Ash halts his attempt and allows the gate to close, leaving Saiki trapped in the present. Furthermore, Ash reveals that he is a descendant of Saiki. By locking Saiki out of the gate, he denies Saiki's existence in the past and forces his own existence to cease. As Ash vanishes from the living world, the flow of time resumes. In the epilogue of the Story Mode, in the dimensional rift, a spear appeared in front of Shroom and Rimelo, two members of Those From The Past who faced Kyo in the opening of the game (Console version). More surprising, Shion appeared before them, revealed that he's still alive.
Characters
The roster of ''The King of Fighters XIII'' features all the characters who appeared in ''The King of Fighters XII
(''KOF XII'') is the twelfth installment of ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games developed and published by SNK Playmore. The game was originally released in Japan in April 2009 for arcades. Home versions of the title for Xbox 360 an ...
'', including the two console-exclusive characters, Elisabeth Branctorche and Mature. Three new characters come in the form of ''The King of Fighters '94
''The King of Fighters '94'' (''KOF 94'') is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo-based arcade game, arcade system in 1994, as the first in ''The King of Fighters'' series. The game was also released for the Neo Geo ...
'' Women's Team ( Yuri Sakazaki, King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and Mai Shiranui
(alternatively written しらぬい まい) is a fictional character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. She has also appeared in other media of these franchises and in a number of other games since ...
). Unlike ''The King of Fighters XII'', all of the characters are organized into proper teams this time with the exception of Ash, who is now a single entry character.
On April 22, 2010, ''Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'' reported the addition of two new characters to the game: Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
for Iori Yagami's team and Takuma Sakazaki for the Art of Fighting team. The official website was soon updated with the changes as well as adding a storyline for Iori's team, and on the April 23, 2010 location test at Hong Kong, Hwa Jai
The following is a list of player character, video game characters featured in the ''Fatal Fury'' fighting game series developed by SNK. The series consists of the original ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Fatal Fury'', ''Fatal Fury 2'', ''Fatal F ...
from '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' was confirmed to be in the game as the final member of Kim Kaphwan
Kim Kap-Hwan (, ''Kimu Kaffan'', sometimes written as (''Kim Kap-hwan'')), usually written as Kim Kaphwan, is a fictional character in both the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series created by SNK. He is credited as the first ever f ...
's team. The first member of the final team, K′
, is a video game character from ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK. He debuted as the leader of the Hero Team in ''The King of Fighters '99'', released in 1999. He often stars as the reluctant hero. K′ is a you ...
, was revealed on April 30 with his addition to the roster page. Maxima was also revealed as the second member of K's Team via addition to the roster page on May 7 and one week later, the final character for K's Team, Kula Diamond, was introduced in the same way. Saiki, the manipulator behind the events of ''The King of Fighters XIII'', appears as sub-boss in his awakened form, and an optional console exclusive mid-boss in his regular form, while an alternate form of Ash Crimson possessed by Saiki's soul known as Evil Ash appears as the final boss.
On June 28, 2011, ''Famitsu'' reported the addition of Billy Kane
is a player character, video game character created by SNK. He makes first appearance in the fighting game ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' as the sub-boss from the game. In the ''Fatal Fury'' series Billy is the right-hand man from Geese Howard, ...
from ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' as a console version exclusive character.[ On July 29, 2011, the human form of Saiki was also announced to be playable, while the original flame-powered Iori Yagami to be featured as a ]downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
(DLC) EX form for regular flameless Iori. Following classic Iori's appearance, Atlus announced "NESTS Style Kyo", based mostly on Kyo Kusanagi's appearance and movesets in NESTS Chronicles games (''The King of Fighters '99
''The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle'' (''KOF '99'') is a 1999 fighting game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1999. It is the sixth installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series, introducing a ...
'' - ''The King of Fighters 2002
''(KOF 2002, or KOF '02)'' is a fighting game produced by Eolith and Playmore for the Neo Geo in 2002. It is the ninth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the second one to be produced by Eolith and developed by Playmore (formerly Brez ...
'') as a downloadable EX form for regular Kyo. As a result of a technical error, the patch was delayed to January 1, 2012, for the PlayStation 3. A new DLC including bugfixes (mainly on online mode) and Mr. Karate (Takuma Sakazaki's alter ego, but loosely based on his Honki ni Natta version from '' SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom'') as an EX form for Takuma became available on January 11, 2012.
Elisabeth Team
*Elisabeth Blanctorche
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
*Duo Lon
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fight ...
*Shen Woo
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fighti ...
Japan Team
*Kyo Kusanagi
is a fictional character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japanese team from the series' title tournament. K ...
*Benimaru Nikaido
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fight ...
*Goro Daimon
''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
Fatal Fury Team
*Terry Bogard
is a Player character, video game character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tourn ...
*Andy Bogard
The following is a list of video game characters featured in the ''Fatal Fury'' fighting game series developed by SNK. The series consists of the original ''Fatal Fury'', ''Fatal Fury 2'', '' Fatal Fury Special'', '' Fatal Fury 3'', '' Real Bo ...
*Joe Higashi
is a video game character created by SNK. He makes his first appearance in the fighting game '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' as one of the three playable characters from the game. The ''Fatal Fury'' series introduce Joe as a goofy Muay Thai fi ...
Art of Fighting Team
*Ryo Sakazaki
is a video game character developed for the 1992 fighting game ''Art of Fighting'' from SNK. His name is most often written in kana, although in some games, kanji is used to write parts of his name. In the series, Ryo is a skilled martial arti ...
* Robert Garcia
* Takuma Sakazaki
Ikari Warriors Team
*Leona Heidern
, who is also known as is a fictional character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting video games. Leona is Heidern's adopted daughter, who is introduced in ''The King of Fighters '96''; she replaces him because he accepts a mo ...
*Ralf Jones
is a video game character created by SNK. Ralf has made appearance in several games from the company, premiering in '' TNK III'' as a military tank driver. The '' Ikari Warriors'' series also emphasized Ralf's role as a soldier with him becomin ...
* Clark Still
Psycho Soldier Team
* Athena Asamiya
* Sie Kensou
* Chin Gentsai
Women Fighters Team
*King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
*Mai Shiranui
(alternatively written しらぬい まい) is a fictional character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. She has also appeared in other media of these franchises and in a number of other games since ...
* Yuri Sakazaki
Kim Team
*Kim Kaphwan
Kim Kap-Hwan (, ''Kimu Kaffan'', sometimes written as (''Kim Kap-hwan'')), usually written as Kim Kaphwan, is a fictional character in both the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series created by SNK. He is credited as the first ever f ...
* Raiden
*Hwa Jai
The following is a list of player character, video game characters featured in the ''Fatal Fury'' fighting game series developed by SNK. The series consists of the original ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Fatal Fury'', ''Fatal Fury 2'', ''Fatal F ...
Yagami Team
*Iori Yagami
is a fictional character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' video game series. The character first appeared in ''The King of Fighters '95'' as the leader of the Rivals Team, as the initial enemy and later rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is the he ...
* Mature
*Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
K' Team
* K'
* Kula Diamond
* Maxima
Single Entry Mid-Bosses
*Ash Crimson
is a video game character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting ...
*Billy Kane
is a player character, video game character created by SNK. He makes first appearance in the fighting game ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' as the sub-boss from the game. In the ''Fatal Fury'' series Billy is the right-hand man from Geese Howard, ...
(Added in home version and later versions)
* Saiki (Added in home version and later versions, except mobile versions)
NPC Bosses
* Awakened Saiki (''Sub-Boss'')
* Evil Ash (''Final Boss'')
DLC EX Versions
*NESTS Saga Kyo
*Classic Iori
*Honki ni Natta Mr. Karate (except mobile versions)
Development
SNK Playmore announced ''The King of Fighters XIII'' in February 2010. There was a preview of the game that was held on March 25, 2010, in Akihabara
is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...
. The game design director, Kei Yamamoto, stated that he wanted the game to be played by the fans of the series who would be able to use their experience from prior titles. Additionally, however, he did not want the game to be too similar to its predecessors, though he and his staff's aim for the game is to capture the charm from prior titles such as readdition of gameplay rules from older titles. The gameplay was also modified to have faster battles to be enjoyed by gamers. Yamamoto labelled the theme of the game as . SNK Playmore president Ryo Mizufune expressed excitement for the game's release, commenting that they wanted to release a game that would surpass fans' expectations and could become as popular as ''The King of Fighters '98
''The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest'', known in Japan as ''The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends (KOF '98)'', is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1998. It is the fifth game in ''The Kin ...
''. They listened to fans' suggestions during development of the game to incorporate them.
The staff in charge wanted to pay attention to the number of details given to the game's graphics. Regarding the story, they paid attention to its flow, mentioning the final version was not significantly different from the first one. Because the prior game, ''The King of Fighters XII
(''KOF XII'') is the twelfth installment of ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games developed and published by SNK Playmore. The game was originally released in Japan in April 2009 for arcades. Home versions of the title for Xbox 360 an ...
'', suffered from various technical issues, developers also worked in fixing them to improve the gameplay. However, the initial arcade version from the game suffered from four notable bugs which led to special rules forbidding players to use them in at Japan's Tougeki – Super Battle Opera fighting game tournament. An updated version 1.1 was later released for arcades, fixing all the bugs and issues from the original game.
In choosing characters, developers wanted to include ones that would give a notable contrast and balance between teams rather than popularity within fans, expanding the "KOF-ism" theme. Characters like Kyo Kusanagi
is a fictional character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japanese team from the series' title tournament. K ...
were made to fight at short distances rather than his original forms from the series' first two games where he relied in attacks performed from distance to emphasize the balance within the cast. The first Neo Max technique made by the staff was Kyo's. As a result, following Neo Max attacks were made to be consistent with Kyo's Neo Max in their style and damage. While Kyo often wears different outfits for story arc, he was given a more masculine appearance for ''The King of Fighters XIII''. Artist Ogura expressed pressure in drawing this incarnation of Kyo as it had to live up to a long reputation he has had ever since his introduction.
Returning characters such as the K' Team were adjusted so that they would play in a similar fashion to prior titles, which resulted in several revisions of mechanics. King and Mai Shiranui were made based on their ''Art of Fighting'' and ''Fatal Fury'' incarnations, respectively, rather than their ''The King of Fighters'' ones. Ogura stated that designing Ash's final form was conceived shortly after he saw early designs of Saiki. Following this, Ogura tried drawing Ash's possessed form from ''The King of Fighters XIII'' where he was careful in showing that while the enemy's body is Ash's, the one fighting is Saiki as represented by his black flames. Despite early pressure about that, once seeing Saiki's similarities with Ash, Ogura managed to draw the Evil Ash easily. The idea behind this character was giving an vibe of a repulsive person.
SNK Playmore worked in order to make him balanced as they aimed for a neither superior Kyo or an inferior Kyo within the cast, giving the players their decision when choosing which version of the character would they prefer. Iori's flamewielding persona was developed to generate a contrast between him and the regular Iori.
Release
Home version
In June 2011, SNK Playmore
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
confirmed that the PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
console versions were in the works and would be released on October 27, 2011, in Japan. In September 2011, however, SNK Playmore delayed the game's release date to an unspecified one from the same year, later leaving it to December 1, 2011. The ports add several game modes not seen in the original version as well as new characters.
Atlus
is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona'', ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Trau ...
had confirmed that they would publish the game on October 25, 2011, in North America, but later delayed it until November 22. Pre-orders for the game included a four-CD soundtrack from the series; the preorders notably increased following the announcement. Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games Limited is a British video game publisher based in Hitchin.
History
Rising Star Games was founded on 10 July 2004 by Martin Defries as a joint venture between Bergsala Holding and Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment ...
confirmed the release date at October 28, 2011 in Europe.
Various new arenas were added for the home version, with some of them being originally from the ''Art of Fighting
is a fighting video game trilogy that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series and is set in the same fictional universe as a pr ...
'' and ''Fatal Fury
''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system.
Games
Canon
* ''Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terry B ...
'' series. The others are based on places briefly seen in cutscenes from ''The King of Fighters''. All of the characters had their movesets adjusted for better balance as a response to issues found in the arcade versions. Downloadable content was also made available, including variants of existing characters.
Mobile
An iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
version was also released on July 7, 2011, under the title of ''The King of Fighters-i''. It was also brought to Android-based devices on March 22, 2012, as ''The King of Fighters Android''.
Kei Yamamoto was also in charge of this version, but the development team consisted of another one that did not work on the arcade version. The staff had trouble adapting the game to iOS due to lack of balances of moves and enemies' intelligences. The initial roster was reduced although six more characters became available by September 2011 alongside an updated version. Billy Kane was included as a result of his popularity within fans, although some were confused by the absence of Iori Yagami. Depending on the game's popularity, the staff may port it to other consoles.
''The King of Fighters-i 2012'', an updated version featuring 12 new characters and other modes, was released for the iOS platform on May 3, 2012 and on Android as ''The King of Fighters-A 2012'' on August 31, 2012.
Though all EX DLC form characters are also downloadable in these mobile versions, Mr. Karate and a human form of Saiki, who are still console-exclusive characters, are not included.
The King of Fighters XIII: Climax
A new arcade version of the game, titled ''The King of Fighters XIII: Climax'', was announced in February 2012. It added the characters introduced on the console version and featured additional rebalancing. Location tests began that same month. ''Climax'' was officially released in Japanese arcades on April 26, 2012.
A Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
port, featuring all three DLC characters, was released on Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
in September 2013. This port is based on the ''Climax'' release for arcades. A '' Galaxy Edition'' also based on the ''Climax'' release was released on GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...
on September 14, 2018.
Merchandise
An official guidebook from the series was published by Arcadia in Japan on August 6, 2010, as ''The King of Fighters XIII Master Guide''. An official soundtrack was released on August 4, 2010. It is composed of two CDs, with the first one having 15 tracks and the second 37. A four-CD official soundtrack ''The King of Soundtracks'' was included with the English pre-orders of the game.
Reception
Following its release, ''The King of Fighters XIII'' received positive reviews, taking an average of 77 and 79 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. ''GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' awarded it as Best Fighting Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
and as the Most Improved Sequel. It was also nominated for 2011 Spike Video Game Awards
The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ...
, 2011 Golden Joystick Award
The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
s and Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
's 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit awards for the best fighting game of the year, but every time lost to ''Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
''.
The gameplay was given major praise with critics from GameSpot and 1UP.com comparing it with critically acclaimed fighting games like ''Street Fighter IV
is a 2008 fighting game published by Capcom, who also co-developed the game with Dimps. It was the first original main entry in the series since '' Street Fighter III'' in 1997, a hiatus of eleven years.
The coin-operated arcade game version wa ...
'' and finding the execution satisfying despite possible difficulties to newcomers to the franchise. The visual presentation was complimented to the point ''GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' stated that the game "has an incredibly distinct – and incredibly beautiful – visual style to it." SNK Playmore was noted to have listened to all the fans' concerns regarding the game as the character roster was increased, with the notable return of fan favorite characters. On the other hand, the game has received criticism as a result of its story mode which is nearly inaccessible to those unfamiliar with the series as well as its use of illustrations alongside large paragraphs telling the plot. Similar comments were given to the online modes as it lacked options to allow players to watch other online fights.
The PlayStation 3 version of the game sold 21,525 copies in Japan during its first week of release. At the game's (and the series') Evolution Championship Series
The Evolution Championship Series, commonly known as Evo, is an annual esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. The tournaments are completely open and use the double elimination format. As with Super Battle Opera, contestants ...
debut in 2012, it became the second-most-watched game of the series at over 90,000 consecutive viewers, thanks to a highly competitive tournament. In 2012, ''Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked it as the third best SNK fighting game ever made, calling it "one of this generation’s finest fighters." The magazine also ranked it as the eighth best 2D fighting game of all time in 2013, stating: "A hit at EVO both this year, and the last, we predict that ''XIII'' will be sticking around for years to come." ''GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'' listed it as the 8th best fighting from its generation.
References
External links
;The King of Fighters XIII
*
*
;The King of Fighters XIII: Climax
*
Official Steam Edition website
{{DEFAULTSORT:King Of Fighters 13, The
2010 video games
2D fighting games
Android (operating system) games
Arcade video games
Atlus games
Fighting games used at the Evolution Championship Series tournament
Fighting games used at the Super Battle Opera tournament
IOS games
PlayStation 3 games
SNK Playmore games
The King of Fighters games
Fighting games
Windows games
Xbox 360 games
NESiCAxLive games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Iku Mizutani
Video games set in Brazil
Video games set in India
Video games set in China
Video games set in England
Video games set in France
Video games set in Egypt
Video games set in Japan
Video games set in the United States
Rising Star Games games