"Thank you for the battle!"
Killer Instinct originally launched alongside the Xbox One last year as a free downloadable only title. Just over a year later and it has been given a full retail release which includes the Killer Instinct Combo Breaker pack. All 8 fighters are now playable from the start and a bonus code will also unlock one character from season 2. But is this new pack worth your have earned cash or is it cheaper to just add the characters you want to use?
Killer Instinct by Double Helix Games and Iron Galaxy Studios is the third game in the once popular Nintendo only series. Starting way back in 1994 in the arcades (remember those kids?) before making the jump in 1995 to Nintendo's SNES console to great acclaim.
The Combo Breaker Pack includes all the season one characters unlocked from the beginning. If you’d have downloaded the online free version it only comes with one character. You also get the season 2 character TJ Combo available via a redeemable code included in the pack. Plus there is an additional season 2 character called Maya who is available to fight against, but not to play as.
You will have to work long and hard to gain XP from fight wins and losses to unlock customization options and different colours for each character. There are no extra costumes included in this retail release. So if you want additional costumes for your characters prepare to fork out £2.39 each. That might seem like small change but when you do the math and work out that those extra costumes will cost you an additional £19.12 that's a hefty investment. There is an Ultra Edition available which does include all 8 bonus costumes and additional character items. But it all balances out turning the game into the same pricing as a standard retail game. So what's the point?
Killer Instinct is still a super fast and flashy brawler with some gorgeous visuals and sometimes unintentionally hilarious audio. If like me you can never, ever pull a combo off you will be right at home button bashing against the AI. However online requires a completely different skill set.The game consists of an arcade mode which is much like any other. Each time you beat the final boss one of three ending scenes will be played which are basic images and that's all. Then there’s the never ending survival mode which pits you against the same 10 characters at random while each victory ramps up the modes difficult. A practice mode is included and a Dojo/master to learn the games many, many different moves.The online multiplayer on offer here is fast and furious and I never struggled to find a game, so the online community is still there.
The question I keep asking myself is does this represent value for money? If you're already on Xbox Live via your Xbox One you can download the free season 2 version and jump in right away with the one character and try out single player, survival and online versus. And then if you enjoy the game you can decide to buy a few extra characters or go all in and buy the Combo Breaker pack. If you want to go the whole hog and get all the characters straight away, the combo breaker pack is a sound investment as long as you're not concerned about extra costumes.
This was a review for Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker on Xbox One.
Review copy supplied by XCN.
Game: Killer Instinct .
Genre: Fighter.
Developer: Double Helix Games (Season 1) and Iron Galaxy Studios (Season 2)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios.
Platform(s): Xbox One