There’s something reassuring about seeing the numeral XI after a fighting game title. For any series from any genre to have clocked up so many instalments is a good sign, but when the title in question is a beat-’em-up that’s been tried and tested by the hardest of core, predominantly in the Japanese arcades, you know that what you are likely to find lurking within is quality.

Whilst Third Strike is usually the brawler of choice around these parts, each new King Of Fighters game – obviously excluding the frankly appalling Maximum Impact titles – has had a decent run of attention and KOF XI has proven itself worthy of the time we’ve spent with it.

While certainly not the best KOF title, the various differences in the combat mechanics allow for veterans to master a whole new style of KOF fighting with the usual rolls, dashes and short jumps forming the foundation for a number of new shifts that allow character swaps – of various complexity – to either enhance or cancel out of specific combinations. The actual intricacy of these shifts is not only going to be meaningless to many, but the lack of space on this page also ensures less detail – let’s just say it’s an element that must be sampled to be understood. Besides, the fact that there are some 41 characters to pick between (some obviously far better than others) that include various past bosses, old favourites and a number of new faces is a more useful fact for those querying a purchase.

However, it has to be said, that for all the tweaking seen in KOF XI it’s only really the followers of the series who are going to appreciate the subtleties that have been introduced. The story of a stolen Orochi Seal and Yata Mirror is a suitable enough reason to kick-start yet another KOF tournament, but anyone not knowledgeable on how the combat mechanics have shifted over the years and who owns a recent version of the game is not likely to see the point in it all. Though, for those wishing to dabble in the series this is as good a place to start as any. A cheaper than cheap (but not as cheap as Gill) final boss battle, a horde of decent characters and plenty of KOF charm make this a laudable, if not essential, beat-’em-up.

Rick Porter