The King of Fighters '96

aka: KOF '96, Nettō The King of Fighters '96, The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle
Moby ID: 5016
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/18 9:17 AM )

Description official descriptions

"Violent fighting to come again!"

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.

Spellings

  • ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ'96 - Japanese spelling
  • 拳皇96 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 熱闘ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ'96 - Japanese Game Boy spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Neo Geo version)

79 People (72 developers, 7 thanks) · View all

Producer
Chief Director
  • Kuwayan
System Director
Sub Director
System Editor
Front Designer
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 79% (based on 11 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 63 ratings with 1 reviews)

Changes, some good, some bad....but still KOF. Plus: worst boss ever in a fighting game.

The Good
Well first of all, the graphics were finally updated on this game and it shows. No longer we have an updated clone of last year's game, now we get a REAL sequel, with new graphics, sounds, gameplay, etc. The rest remains the same, you choose your team and go at it in hopes of winning the tournament, however some things have changed this year gameplay-wise and while some are bad, some are good. For starters the projectile attacks have almost entirely been eliminated. What!?? I hear you say, "How can you think that's good??" Well, the KOF games have always had a different pace than other fighting games, they have always been much more technical and offer a lot of complex features that imho ruin gameplay, the "dodge" feature is the foremost example of this, and it rendered every projectile attack and every tactic related to it useless in previous KOFs. The removal of the projectiles forces you to REALLY focuss on the "fist-fighting" aspect of the game, which is its strongest point and...c'mon, they didn't work anyway!

Some may see this as a neglection of the true spirit of the KOF games, since the dodge feature has been modified also, (now you roll) and you spend less time using it. But Imho it improves gameplay a LOT.

The Bad
The other changes that were made really suck when compared to other KOFs. The game balancing is way off. Mostly thanks to the removal of these projectile attacks, the Fatal Fury guys have been tremendously powered-up but they are also very hard to use accurately, and a fairly proficient player can reign supreme just by using Iori (which borders the ridiculous power-wise). Also my congratulations go out to anyone who can successfully handle Chang and Choi.

But the worst by far is Goenitz. SNK has a reputation of making extremely cheap bosses for its games, bosses that simply don't fight you, they just lift a finger and Wham! you lose half your life bar. But Goenitz is just too much, he is the absolute pits, he doesn't even move around! He just teleports, and throws some winds at you that take out anywhere from a third to three-quarters of your life. This has got to stop! you hear me SNK??? Oh, wait...they went bankrupt. Well, guess this is why! Add to that the tremendous loading times in this home version and you have yourself an exercise in frustration.

The rest are minor gripes that only have relevance if you are not into KOFs and are more of a Capcom kind of fighter: generically-looking fighters, too much power-management, gameplay that borders the analy-retentive when it comes to complexity (remember that Kyo's SDM is unblockable whenever done on a full moon night, with 75% of your power bar gone, in the wake of his 180 RED spin-kick, vs a female opponent and after eating a cup of noodles), etc.

The Bottom Line
Essentially for KOF fans this is a love or hate game, for me it's a good one despite it's flaws. But still it's only fun to play in the arcades, only KOF fans or obssesive-compulsive players need apply for the home version. The game is insanely complex and extremely difficult (in the BAD way) and if you are not used to KOFs playing this one first can ruin you forever unless you are prepared to practice 20 hours a day and learn by heart every single move and glitch the game has. Aproach at your own risk.

PlayStation · by Zovni (10504) · 2001

Trivia

Version differences

  • As a bonus for every home port (PSX, NeoGeo CD, etc.) not only you can choose via codes to play as the bosses, but you also get a special ending if you choose your team to include Kyo, Iori and the first boss: Kagura. The sequence actually makes sense when you consider the future KOF plotlines, and is not available on the original arcade version.
  • The now classic music theme for the Psycho Soldier team did not include lyrics on its original arcade incarnation.
  • The Game Boy version adds Mr. Karate from the Art of Fighting series as an unlock-able character.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • March 1997 (Issue 92) - Neo Geo Game of the Year + Neo Geo Game of the Year runner-up (Readers' Choice)

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

The King of Fighters '95
Released 1996 on Game Boy, SEGA Saturn, PlayStation...
The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle
Released 1999 on Neo Geo, PlayStation, 2007 on PSP...
The King of Fighters: Nests Collection
Released 2007 on PlayStation 2, 2015 on PlayStation 3
The King of Fighters '97
Released 1997 on Neo Geo, SEGA Saturn, PlayStation...
The King of Fighters 2003
Released 2003 on Neo Geo, PlayStation 2, Xbox...
The King of Fighters '94
Released 1994 on Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, PSP...
The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle
Released 2003 on Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, 2005 on Xbox...
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest
Released 1998 on Neo Geo CD, 1998 on Neo Geo, 1999 on PlayStation...

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 5016
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Zovni.

PS Vita added by Fred VT. Neo Geo CD added by Corn Popper. PlayStation 4 added by mars_rulez. PlayStation 3, PSP added by Lain Crowley. Arcade added by 666gonzo666. Nintendo Switch, iPhone, Android, iPad added by Rik Hideto. Wii added by yenruoj_tsegnol_eht (!!ihsoy). Windows Apps added by Kennyannydenny. Xbox One added by Sciere. SEGA Saturn added by Kohler 86. Neo Geo added by Terok Nor. Game Boy added by Cameron McCaffrey.

Additional contributors: Longwalker, Unicorn Lynx, Alaka, ケヴィン, DreinIX, Zaibatsu, Patrick Bregger, Hipolito Pichardo, Kayburt.

Game added September 24, 2001. Last modified February 21, 2024.