- Release Date: 1994
- Genre: Fighting
- Style: 2D Fighting
- Similar Games: Mortal Kombat (Macintosh), Mortal Kombat (Game Boy), Mortal Kombat (Sega CD), Mortal Kombat (Sega Game Gear), Mortal Kombat (Sega Genesis), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (Sega Saturn), X-Men: Children of the Atom (Sega Saturn), Mortal Kombat (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Game Boy), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Arcade), Mortal Kombat (Arcade), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (Arcade), X-Men: Children of the Atom (Arcade), X-Men: Children of the Atom (PlayStation), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (PlayStation), X-Men: Children of the Atom (IBM PC Compatible), Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (Arcade), Mortal Kombat (IBM PC Compatible), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (IBM PC Compatible), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Commodore 64/128)
Game Description
In Killer Instinct, there are ten playable characters ranging from men made of fire or ice, to skeletons, to jungle queens, to professional boxers, among others. Each character has a repertoire of special moves. Each character is also capable of attacking opponents with "combos." Combos are punch and kick combinations which result in an opponent being hit three or more times without the opponent being able to hit back or block. Killer Instinct is one of the first games developed to rely heavily upon combos as a major portion of the action. Combos typically do great damage to opponents.Characters can sometimes stop an attacking opponent's combo with moves called "combo breakers." These combo breaking moves require precision timing combined with synchronized button and joystick movement. There are six attack buttons to use with Killer Instinct. They are short punch, medium punch, fierce punch, short kick, medium kick, and fierce kick. Killer Instinct features DCS stereo sound and 24-bit true-color graphics. The object of the game is to defeat all of the other characters and a boss character to fulfill the fighting character's destiny.
~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
Killer Instinct grew out of the success of games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. In the mid-1990s, developers were looking for "the next big fighting game," so the market was filled with games like Killer Instinct, Virtua Fighter, and Tekken.~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Killer Instinct is an awesome game. Released in 1994, it was one of the first fighting games to make great use of "combos." Rather than just being able to attack an opponent and attack again, combos allowed gamers to carry out high damage attacks in one fluid movement.Killer Instinct was developed by Midway, the same people that released the Mortal Kombat series. Killer Instinct looks like the development bridge between Mortal Kombat 2 and Mortal Kombat 3. Elements of Killer Instinct -- like multi-hit combos -- are incorporated into the latter game.
Killer Instinct has excellent sound. Punches, kicks, and screams hit you hard in the ears. Speakers on either side of the console deliver everything in digital stereo.
Killer Instinct also has excellent graphics. There is not as much blood and gore evident in Killer Instinct as there is in the Mortal Kombat games, but there is enough to keep fans of those games interested. The characters are animated beautifully and the background scenes are very good.
Each player has special moves which require simultaneous joystick and button action. Spinal, the skeleton warrior, probably has the best combo moves simply because his sword and shield inflict great damage. Cinder has the easiest combo moves because they require very little joystick movement. Just tap at your opponent while you hit a punch button and you're gone.
Killer Instinct is a very important game as fighters go. It's style and action would influence many fighting games released in the mid to late 1990s. If you do not play this game, you are missing out on a classic.
~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Very good~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Near perfect~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Amazingly good~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
Good~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
N/A~ Anthony Baize, All Game Guide
