Killer Instinct Cover

IGDB / 2907

Killer Instinct

1994 72 / 100 Fighting
Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. It was released as an arcade game in the fall of 1994 and, the following year, ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Game Boy. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organising a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acc Show full summary

Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. It was released as an arcade game in the fall of 1994 and, the following year, ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Game Boy. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organising a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acclaim Comics imprint. Killer Instinct features several gameplay elements unique to fighting games of the time. Instead of fighting enemies in best-of-three rounds bouts, each player has two life bars. The player that depletes the other player's life bars first wins the match. The game also introduced "auto-doubles", a feature which allows players to press a certain sequence of buttons to make characters automatically perform combos on opponents. Also featured in the game are "combo breakers", special defensive moves that can interrupt combos.

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Shared DNA
Fighting Genre Action Theme Multiplayer Mode Single player Mode Side view Perspective Combat-focused Game feel Multiplayer Game feel
World design Nicht eindeutig GameplayCombat-focused Game modeMultiplayer

Deep dive / Spielprofil

What it is about.

A structured look at the narrative, game feel, and traits that define this game.

Story & context

Ultratech is a very powerful megacorporation which organises a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experimental creatures created by Ultratech also fight in the tournament so their strength can be tested. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions, and releases a two-headed, one-eyed, satyr monster called Eyedol from this dimensional prison.

GameplayCombat-focused Game modeMultiplayer GenreFighting ThemeAction ThemeFantasy ThemeScience fiction Traitadapted to - comics Traittournament

Watch / Trailer

Gameplay video

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Game profile / Plain language

Everything relevant. Without the wiki wilderness.

Studio, play style, releases, and official sources — compactly prepared from external IGDB data.

01
Studios & ownership

Studio & publishing

Developer
Rare
Publisher
Midway
Franchise
Killer Instinct
02
So spielt es sich

Spielprofil

Modi
Multiplayer, Single player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Action, Fantasy, Science fiction
03
Wo & wann

Platform releases

  • Arcade Oct 28, 1994

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