The Rhythm of Fighters

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The Rhythm of Fighters
TheRhythmOfFighterslogo.png
Logo of the game featuring Kyo Kusanagi
Developer(s) SNK Playmore
Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher(s) SNK Playmore
Platform(s) Android, iOS
ReleaseJune 24, 2014 - July 15, 2015
Genre(s) Rhythm game
Mode(s) Single-player

The Rhythm of Fighters is a free-to-play music-based video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by SNK for iOS and Android. It was released on June 24, 2014 and removed from app stores on July 15, 2015. [1] In the game, the player controls a fighter and taps the screen to attack a rival. Depending on the character chosen, a different musical theme would be used. Additionally, the player can earn experience by defeating enemies similar to role-playing video games.

Contents

SNK conceptualized this game as a mix of different gaming genres with music being the focus. The game received average scores by video games journalists. While the music and fighting system has been praised, the use of downloadable content (DLC) was criticized for making the complete package too expensive during the time that The Rhythm of Fighters was a paid game. Nevertheless, SNK found that the title had considerable worldwide downloads, with the DLC content being well received.

Gameplay

Kyo Kusanagi attacking Terry Bogard after the player uses the tap required. RhythmofFightersgameplay.png
Kyo Kusanagi attacking Terry Bogard after the player uses the tap required.

The game combines elements from rhythm games, fighting games and role-playing games. The player is given a character from SNK franchises such as The King of Fighters and Fatal Fury. The player can have their fighter character attack enemies by beat tapping: tapping the handheld device's touch screen in synchronization with the music. Performing different tappings, the characters can execute normal attacks, combos, special moves or their strongest techniques. Both fighters are given health bars during combat. The winning character can level up and expand their strength. The game has a total of 14 musical tracks that can be unlocked during play; certain musical themes appear as downloadable content (DLC). [2] Players are given different themes depending on the characters they use: while using Geese Howard the theme is "Soy Sauce to Geese", Geese's most recurring theme from Fatal Fury while Kyo Kusanagi is presented with "Tears", his theme song from The King of Fighters '99 . [3]

The initial cast is composed of Kyo, Athena Asamiya and Ryo Sakazaki. Additional characters like Iori Yagami and Terry Bogard can be unlocked through downloadable content. [4]

Development

The SNK Playmore development team had a concept to create a new video game genre by combining fighting game elements and music genre themes together. While their games were known for story and gameplay, SNK noticed their fans also enjoyed the background music themes composed for their titles. Originally a paid game, SNK turned The Rhythm of Fighters into a free-to-play game to keep consistency with Metal Slug Defense, another free game, and to avoid issues with their fanbase. Multiple easter eggs were put in the game to please returning fans, such as how the music changes with in-game commands. [3]

On February 14, 2014, SNK trademarked the title "The Rhythm of Fighters". [5] The game was first announced by SNK Playmore in June 2014. [6] The first form of downloadable content became available in July under the form of four new tracks based on Fatal Fury. [7] This was followed by eight more tracks in the same month: four tracks from The King of Fighters '97 and four tracks from Metal Slug Defense. [8] In July, SNK added new tracks from The King of Fighters '99 and Samurai Shodown II . [9] In September 2014 the game became free-to-play. [10] It was removed from app stores on July 15, 2015. [1]

Reception

Shortly after its release, SNK noticed that the game was being downloaded across many world regions. The DLC for Fatal Fury Special and Metal Slug Defense theme songs were also popular. [3] Google Play Store recorded more than 1 million downloads by July 2015. [15] In 2014, The Guardian listed it as one of the best android games for its mixture genres. [16] While Kotaku noted they liked seeing this KOF spin-off, people were instead looking forward to another main installment in the franchise as The King of Fighters XIII had been released years ago Rhythm. [17]

Destructoid gave the game a 7 out of 10, praising its low initial price and the use of music, but noted that the game suffered from the "unfortunate trappings of the mobile platform". [4] The same score was given by Pocket Gamer UK which stated that it was not only for SNK fans but suitable for general players. The reviewer expressed surprise with the gameplay system's entertaining modes but felt that it was not unique. [12] Touch Arcade noted that "It's not the most high-effort product, and the initial buy-in only gets you about half the content, but I still had a really good time with The Rhythm of Fighters" and gave it a 3.5 out of 5. The reviewer felt there were some lag issues during his playthrough on his iPhone 5S which might make other ports superior in comparison. [13] Critics in general found the price for the entire game too expensive based on the use of DLC. [13] [4] [12] 148apps was harsher in the terms of music employed during most of the game, finding it unfitting. Nevertheless, the reviewer praised the fighting system based on how the player's actions create a fight similar to games developed from the franchise. [18] In contrast to most other reviews, Hyper felt that the DLC was reasonably priced. [19] Multiplayer.it called the game simple and fun but criticized the music selection. [14] [11]

Related Research Articles

The King of Fighters (KOF) is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of The King of Fighters '94 in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main platform for the series until 2004 when SNK retired it in favor of the Atomiswave arcade board. Two King of Fighters games were produced for the Atomiswave platform (The King of Fighters Neowave and The King of Fighters XI) before SNK decided to discontinue using it for the series. The series' most recent arcade hardware is the Taito Type X2, first used with the release of The King of Fighters XII. Ports of the arcade games and the original The King of Fighters games have been released for several video game consoles. The latest entry in the series, The King of Fighters XV, was released in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNK</span> Japanese video game company

SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. The company was founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku by Eikichi Kawasaki. In 1981, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation, which became the company's official name in 1986.

<i>Fatal Fury</i> Video game series

Fatal Fury, known as Garō Densetsu in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK, first released on the Neo Geo system.

<i>Art of Fighting</i> Video game series

Art of Fighting is a fighting game series originally released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It is the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the Fatal Fury series, and is set in the same fictional universe. The original Art of Fighting was released in 1992, followed by two sequels: Art of Fighting 2 in 1994 and Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior in 1996. A new Art of Fighting game is currently in development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Bogard</span> Fictional character

Terry Bogard is a fictional character created by SNK as the protagonist of their Fatal Fury series. Introduced in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tournaments to combat his father's murderer, Geese Howard. Following Geese's defeat, Terry becomes the guardian of Geese's son Rock Howard. He is also a regular character in the crossover video game series The King of Fighters, where he continues participating in tournaments. He has also been a guest character in other games, including the Capcom vs. SNK series, Arika’s Fighting EX Layer, Street Fighter 6 and Nintendo's crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In addition to video games, Terry has appeared in anime films based on Fatal Fury, and manga serialized in Comic Bom Bom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geese Howard</span> Fictional character

Geese Howard is a fictional boss character and the main villain in SNK's Fatal Fury fighting game series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese created and hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the brothers Terry and Andy Bogard who want to take revenge for their father's death. After several tournaments in the Fatal Fury series, Geese is killed by Terry in Real Bout Fatal Fury. However, he appears in following games without storyline as a "ghost" named Nightmare Geese. Geese has also appeared in other SNK's games such as The King of Fighters games, in which he seeks to get the power from the creature Orochi and often sends teams representing him. His young self makes an appearance in the second Art of Fighting game as the final boss character. He also appears as downloadable content in Bandai Namco's fighting game Tekken 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai Shiranui</span> Fictional character from Fatal Fury

Mai Shiranui is a character in the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK. Introduced in 1992's Fatal Fury 2, the character was originally conceived as a male character named "Ninja Master", but when a request was put in to include a female character in the game they revised the concept entirely. For the game's sequel Fatal Fury 3 they considered replacing her with another female character, but due to heavy fan request she returned instead and has been a frequent character in both the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iori Yagami</span> Fictional character

Iori Yagami is a character from SNK's The King of Fighters video game series. The character first appeared in The King of Fighters '95 as the leader of the Rivals Team, as the initial enemy and later rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is the heir of the Yagami clan, who use pyrokinetic powers and sealed the Orochi devil along with the Kusanagi and Yata clans. Iori suffers from a curse – "The Riot of the Blood" – under which he becomes faster, stronger and wilder, exhibiting a deadly tendency to indiscriminately attack everyone in close proximity. In this state, Iori is commonly called "Wild Iori" or "Orochi Iori". Aside from the main series, Iori appears in several other media series, including spin-offs, crossover video games and comic adaptations of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyo Kusanagi</span> Fictional character

Kyo Kusanagi is a fictional character in SNK's The King of Fighters series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team from the series' title tournament. Kyo, heir to the Kusanagi clan, is first introduced as a cocky, delinquent high-school student who has pyrokinetic powers. His clan is one of three who banished the legendary snake demon entity Yamata no Orochi. During the series' story, Kyo meets rivals and enemies who seek to take his flame abilities. Aside from the main series, Kyo appears in several crossovers and spinoffs with other games. He is also the central title character of the manga The King of Fighters: Kyo and video game adaptation with the same name which center around his daily life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athena Asamiya</span> Fictional character from Psycho Soldier and The King of Fighters

Athena Asamiya is a fictional character originally from the former SNK's 1987 video game Psycho Soldier. An esper, Athena is a descendant of Princess Athena from the earlier Athena game. She later appears in The King of Fighters series of fighting games as a member of the Psycho Soldier Team alongside her friend Sie Kensou and her teacher Chin Gentsai. While there have been changes to the team, Athena has been consistently playable in the main series. She was also given her own video game Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life, which was only released in Japanese regions for the PlayStation in 1999.

<i>The King of Fighters XI</i> 2005 video game

The King of Fighters XI(KOF XI) is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in The King of Fighters series following The King of Fighters 2003. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave platform in 2005. A home version for the PlayStation 2 was released in Japan in 2006, followed by releases in the PAL region and North America in 2007. It is the second The King of Fighters game to not run on the Neo Geo following its predecessor, The King of Fighters Neowave and also the first major canonical entry to not be named after its year of release.

<i>Garou: Mark of the Wolves</i> 1999 Video game

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a 1999 fighting game produced by SNK, originally for the Neo Geo system and then as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves for the Dreamcast. It is the sixth main installment of the Fatal Fury series.

<i>The King of Fighters 94</i> 1994 video game

The King of Fighters '94 is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 1994, as the first in The King of Fighters series. The game was also released for the Neo Geo home console systems, including the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD. In 2008, KOF '94 was one of sixteen games included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.

<i>Neo Geo Battle Coliseum</i> 2005 video game

Neo Geo Battle Coliseum is a fighting game designed for the Atomiswave arcade board developed and released by SNK in 2005. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. Subsequently, a PlayStation 2 version of the game was released in Japan, North America, and Europe. The Xbox Live Arcade version was released worldwide on June 9, 2010. In 2020, a homebrew conversion was released for the Dreamcast.

Characters of the <i>Fatal Fury</i> series Fictional character

The following is a list of video game characters featured in the Fatal Fury fighting game series developed by SNK. The series consists of the original Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, and Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

<i>The King of Fighters XIII</i> 2010 Video game

The King of Fighters XIII(KOF XIII) is a fighting game in The King of Fighters series, developed and published by SNK Playmore originally in 2010. King of Fighters XIII was released for Japanese arcades on July 14, 2010, while ports for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were released during late 2011 in Japanese and English regions, with Atlus USA and Rising Star Games being in charge of releasing them in the United States and Europe respectively. Versions for iOS and Android followed in 2011 and 2012. A PC version was released on Steam on September 13, 2013.

<i>The King of Fighters XIV</i> 2016 video game

The King of Fighters XIV(KOF XIV) is a 2016 Japanese fighting game. Part of SNK's franchise The King of Fighters (KOF) series, with this installment being published by Atlus USA in North America and Deep Silver in Europe. After the 13th installment that used 2D raster imagery, this game is rendered entirely in 3D similar to the spin-off Maximum Impact. The game was released worldwide for the PlayStation 4 in August 2016 and ported to Windows and Japanese arcade cabinets in June 2017.

<i>Fighting EX Layer</i> 2018 Video game

Fighting EX Layer is a fighting video game developed by Arika. It is a spiritual successor to Fighting Layer and the Street Fighter EX series and features many of the same characters from the latter. The game was released for PlayStation 4 in June 2018, with ports for Microsoft Windows and Arcade released the following November. A mobile version of the game, titled Fighting EX Layer -α, was later released for iOS and Android devices in April 2019. A Nintendo Switch port of the game, Fighting EX Layer Another Dash was released in 2021.

<i>The King of Fighters XV</i> 2022 video game

The King of Fighters XV, also called KOF XV, is a fighting game developed by SNK. It was released on February 17, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the first game in The King of Fighters series created using Unreal Engine 4, and the first to implement GGPO rollback networking. Taking place five years after the events of The King of Fighters XIV, the narrative primarily revolves around two fighters with multiverse-related supernatural powers, Shun'ei and Isla, among other returning heroes facing revived threats. King of Fighters XV generally received praise for its character roster, team-based gameplay, and smooth online performance, but criticism for its story mode, complex tutorials, and mechanics.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Rhythm of Fighters Will No Longer Be Available From July 15th". Siliconera. 14 July 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Rhythm of Fighters Hits The Beat With SNK Nostalgia". Siliconera. 26 June 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "How The Rhythm of Fighters Came To Be And Why It Changed To Free-To-Play". Siliconera. 25 September 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Review: The Rhythm of Fighters". Destructoid. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "商願2014-13027". Japan trademark Bureau. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "The Rhythm of Fighters Mixes The King of Fighters With Music". Siliconera. 20 June 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "SNK's Rhythm of Fighters Adds Fatal Fury Music To Its Tracklist". Siliconera. 11 July 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ "SNK's The Rhythm of Fighters Adds King of Fighters '97 Music DLC". Siliconera. 29 July 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ "News". SNK. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  10. ↑ "SNK Playmore's The Rhythm of Fighters Goes Free-to-Play on Android". Shoryuken. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "The Rhythm of Fighters for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom . Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "The Rhythm of Fighters". Pocket Gamer. 30 June 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 "'The Rhythm of Fighters' Review – Fatal Footwork With Some Cool Cool Tunes". Touch Arcade. July 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Pugliese, Tommaso (3 July 2014). "This is the rhythm of the fight". Multiplayer.it (in Italian). NetAddiction Srl. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "SNK Playmore to remove 'The Rhythm of Fighters' game from Play Store". Android Community. 14 July 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ "20 best Android apps and games this week". The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  17. ↑ "We Didn't Ask for This King of Fighters Music Game". Kotaku. 20 June 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  18. ↑ "The Rhythm of Fighters Review". 1478apps. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Rhythm of Fighters Review". Hyper: Australasia's Only Independent Games Mag (31). Next Publishing Pty Ltd: 81. 2014. ISSN   1320-7458.
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