Killer Instinct

Last updated
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct Logo.png
Series title card, c.2013
Genre(s) Fighting
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Creator(s) Rare
Composer(s)
Platform(s) Arcade, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
First release Killer Instinct
October 28, 1994
Latest release Killer Instinct
November 22, 2013

Killer Instinct is a series of fighting video games originally created by Rare and published by Midway, Nintendo, and Xbox Game Studios. The original Killer Instinct was released for arcades in 1994; the game was then released for the Super NES and Game Boy in 1995. Its sequel, Killer Instinct 2 , was released for arcades in 1996; the game was then released as Killer Instinct Gold for the Nintendo 64. [1]

Contents

The series was rebooted with the release of Killer Instinct (2013) for the Xbox One.

Killer Instinct is also mentioned within EarthBound, however not within the game, instead in the Player's Guide on page 17, as a video game in the Onett Arcade.

Games

Killer Instinct (1994)

Killer Instinct is an arcade fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway. Initially released in arcades in 1994, the game advertised it would launch in 1995 for an intended "Nintendo Ultra 64" home console. The Ultra 64 eventually materialized as the Nintendo 64, but never received a version of the original Killer Instinct. Instead, the game received a high-profile launch on the SNES, released on October 27, 1994, [2] which bundled a CD of remixed game tracks with a limited edition black-colored cartridge, as well as a release on the Game Boy handheld the following year. Both the SNES and Game Boy versions were published by Nintendo. A digital port, titled Killer Instinct Classic, was released as part of a bundle with its 2013 sequel's first season on Xbox One. The SNES version of Killer Instinct was re-released as a Nintendo Switch Online game on February 21, 2024. [3]

Killer Instinct 2 and Killer Instinct Gold (1996)

A 1996 arcade-only game developed by Rare, licensed by Nintendo, and manufactured by Midway. It was the sequel to Killer Instinct. The game was also ported to the SNES, but never released. [4] It was later ported to the Nintendo 64 console under the name Killer Instinct Gold , and the port was published by Nintendo. A digital port, titled Killer Instinct 2 Classic, was released as part of a bundle with its 2013 sequel's second season on Xbox One. Killer Instinct Gold was also included as part of the Rare Replay compilation release.

Killer Instinct (2013)

A reboot of the Killer Instinct series, developed by Double Helix Games under supervision of Ken Lobb, and the first game in the series to be published by Microsoft Studios, was released in November 2013 as a launch title for the Xbox One. [5] Following the acquisition of Double Helix Games by Amazon, Iron Galaxy Studios took over the development of post-launch content. [6] A Windows 10 version was released in March 2016 on the Windows Store, [7] [8] and via Steam in September 2017. [9]

Gameplay

Killer Instinct is a fighting game featuring one-on-one combat. The game borrows the attack set of Street Fighter and is also inspired by the finishing moves from Mortal Kombat . [10]

There are also several features that distinguish it from other franchises:

Characters

Merchandise

A collectible card game based on the series was manufactured by Topps and released in 1996; it was Nintendo's first foray into collectible card games and contained low-resolution renders from the original game. [11] All three games also received soundtrack releases. [12] [13]

Killer Instinct was adapted twice into a comic book series: the first was by Acclaim Comics, who published two three-issue miniseries in 1996 based on the first two games. The second is from Dynamite Comics, which released a six issue miniseries continuing the events of the 2013 game from September 2017 to April 2018. [14] A trade paperback of all six Dynamite issues was released on September 11, 2018. [15]

An official arcade stick made by Mad Catz was released to coincide with the 2013 game's launch. [16] A series of collectible character figures was released by Ultimate Source in 2016, with each figure including a code to unlock an exclusive in-game color for their respective character in the 2013 game; these colors were later made available to all players as part of Anniversary Edition. [17] [18]

References

  1. "Killer Instinct". Arcade Museum.
  2. "Play Killer Instinct | Play Retro Games Online | Rec0deD:88". 26 June 2023.
  3. Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-02-21). "Nintendo Switch Online Gets More Classic Rare Games Today". IGN. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  4. Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 13, 2011). "Ex-Rare dev's Killer Instinct 3 vision". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  5. "Killer Instinct Video – E3 2013: Double Helix Interview". GameTrailers. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  6. Sarkar, Samit (2014-03-27). "Killer Instinct gets a new developer, Fulgore title update arrives April 9". Polygon. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  7. Belland, Christian (June 16, 2015). "[Updated] Killer Instinct Coming to PC, Will Feature Cross-Play and Cross-Buy". Game Informer . Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  8. "Buy Killer Instinct: Season 3 Ultra Edition". Microsoft Store.
  9. "Killer Instinct is now available on Steam". Shoryuken. 2017-09-28. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  10. "Xbox One Review: Killer Instinct finally fulfills the potential of a mostly forgotten series". financialpost.
  11. Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, Second Edition, pp. 250–251.
  12. Hall, Alexandra (August 28, 2020). "Killer Cuts Was '90s Nintendo Failing To Be Cool". Kotaku. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  13. Paget, Mat (July 13, 2016). "Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition Releases This Year; Available for Preorder Now". GameSpot. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  14. Wickline, Dan (June 19, 2017). "Killer Instinct Franchise Gets Comic Series by Ian Edginton & Cam Adams". Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  15. Edginton, Ian (September 11, 2018). Killer Instinct Vol. 1. Dynamic Forces, Incorporated DBA Dynamite Entertainment. ISBN   978-1524106560.
  16. Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 11, 2013). "This is the official Killer Instinct arcade stick". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  17. Paget, Mat (2016-03-16). "Check Out These Killer Instinct Figures". GameSpot. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  18. Paget, Mat (2016-03-29). "Killer Instinct Season 3 Adding a Single-Player Mode, Next Characters Confirmed". GameSpot. Retrieved 2025-09-06.