Killer Instinct Review

Bringing back an established ’90s franchise like Killer Instinct can be something of a poisoned chalice. Sure, it has a pre-existing, passionate fanbase ready to play it. On the other hand, it is incredibly difficult to live up to the classic games of the past. Especially when you have the creator of the series Ken Lobb back to supervise the development.

Released as a launch title for the Xbox One in 2013, this free-to-play title provided a chance to bring the franchise to modern audiences. But, did it succeed in recreating the essence of the original?

Story

2013’s Killer Instinct acts as a reboot rather than a continuation of the plot from the original two games. However, that’s not too much of an issue, because a cohesive narrative was never something this series was focused on.

There is a basic plot, with some elements taken from previous installments. But, Killer Instinct doesn’t worry about exactly why its characters are fighting each other. Instead, they are thrown into the action. The gameplay is expected to captivate players enough so that an overarching story is not necessary.

Characters

Killer Instinct initially faced complaints about its limited roster, as it only contained nine fighters in total. However, this was just Season One of the content that would eventually come to the title. The roster eventually expanded to 29 individuals through two further seasons of content. This includes every single character from the history of the series, as well as a few guest appearances from the likes of General RAAM from Gears of War. These were joined by a number of additional stages, bringing the total up to 21. If the game was sparse at launch, it became a far meatier and more varied experience as time went by.

Unfortunately, there are justifiable concerns with some of the characters. Certain females have clearly been made as sexual as possible. Meanwhile, Thunder is far from a sensitive or thoughtful portrayal of Native Americans. While this kind of presentation has been common in fighting games, it seems insensitive in this day and age.