Killer Instinct is an excellent fighting game released on Xbox One in 2013 for the launch of this console. It was also released on Xbox PC and then on Steam over the years.
It was first developed by Double Helix and Microsoft Game Studios, and then suddenly Double Helix got bought by Amazon. Microsoft then entrusted it to the brilliant Chicago studio, Iron Galaxy.
Iron Galaxy has made up for it very well, adding new characters, balance updates, and game modes. And then in 2016, the work stopped on the game.
In the meantime, Iron Galaxy continued to work on games for these clients, such as Rumbleverse.
Rumbleverse was cancelled after a few months despite its many qualities. Seeing the interest of the Killer Instinct gaming community for more content, Microsoft then jumped at the chance and rehired Iron Galaxy to work on a new update, released on November 24, 2023.
Killer Instinct (2013) is also the 3rd official installment of a series of fighting games originally released in Arcade and then on Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64. It was the Rare team that developed this franchise. Then Microsoft bought them around the GameCube.
Killer Instinct (2013) is now available on Xbox One, Series, Xbox PC, Steam PC in its Anniversary Edition. Regardless of your version of the game, it has been updated to the Anniversary Edition. Many additions and bug fixes have taken place.
And the roster of characters (29) has been rebalanced to take into account feedback from the 10-year gaming community!
There was also a Free-To-Play version that was available on Xbox console and Xbox PC, it is now available on Steam PC too. As usual with this kind of edition for fighting games, the playable fighters change every week, in order to frustrate players and push them to purchase the full paid edition.
The game is not even expensive nowadays and is very often available at a discount in any case.
I’m thrilled that this game is coming back to the forefront. It’s beautiful even these days, it’s also very enjoyable to play (for Street Fighter fans like me), the tutorial is among the best on the market, and it’s the first fighting game to have integrated the season system to include new characters and season pass, which is now standard in this kind of game.
And if you have 6 hours to spare… you can check out the excellent documentary series made by Hold Back To Block:
Or you can watch it in several installments of course.
It’s particularly exciting, and there’s also a video dedicated to the composition of music by Mick Gordon (Doom Eternal) in this playlist, which is a rare but very important fact in Killer Instinct.
In short, play this game! It’s very well made and cheap, and it has many guest characters: Rash from Battletoads, Arbiter from Halo, and General RAAM from Gears of War
And if you’re playing on Steam Deck, switch Proton to Experimental to be able to play this new version.
