What you need to know
- Killer Instinct is a fighting game released in 2013 for the Xbox One.
- Developer Iron Galaxy took over the title in Season 2 after years of introducing balance switches and new characters.
- Iron Galaxy features Xbox Series X|S enhancements and a balance switch for the game’s 10th anniversary, a detailed livestream years after the previous update.
Killer Instinct is back!
As shared earlier this year, developer Iron Galaxy is working on a 10th anniversary update for the 2013 Xbox fighting game. This update will arrive years after the game’s seemingly last patch, and will include an Xbox Series X|S compatible upgrade and a balance switch for extensive fighter rosters. You can watch the broadcast Iron Galaxy Twitch channelwill start today at 4:00 AM.
I will cover the flow by updating this article with details shared by the developers.
To kick things off, James Goddard, design director for Killer Instinct at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, revealed the new color scheme for the season, which is meant to harken back to the Golden days of Killer Instinct via a gorgeous purple and gold theme. You can see below:
Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition is being replaced by Killer Instinct: Anniversary Edition. This brings a lot of changes, with Steam getting a free-to-play version of the game just like Xbox and Windows 10. The free-to-play version will also rotate characters weekly instead of bi-weekly.
Adam Heart, Iron Galaxy’s lead combat designer, added that since it’s been 10 years since its first release, the team has changed the UI to look better on modern displays.
Heart also noted that aside from some minor bug fixes, 10 characters (including Sabrewulf, TJ Combo, Kan-Ra, Riptor, Cinder, Arbiter, and Kilgore) were not adapted to this balance transition and were kept at the same power.
Starter character Jago has been buffed, seeing his walking speed increased by 10% to help him maneuver more efficiently in combat. Glacius’s Puddle Punch has been changed as it is still effective, but the blocking player can then hit it a bit faster, although more care must be taken.
Thunder’s follow-up attacks, which were previously possible even a frame before landing, should now stick somewhat to the previous example of moves not working when falling past Sadira’s head. Lightning now moves 20% faster, however, the danger of getting close to an opponent is increased.
Sadira gets one change, but it’s a big one: She moves 20% faster, and considering she’s already one of the fastest members of the cast, she’s now positively close. Orchid comes with a boost to her Jaguar that adds 15 frames and assigns better enemies to juggle. Meanwhile, his average slide is going faster and almost reaching the point of heavy slide. Its new heavy slide goes ridiculously far, traveling almost the entire screen when fully zoomed.
The dreaded Spinal moves about 20% faster, though the team notes that his moveset is solid, so this is meant to better prepare him for attacks. Fulgore has also been heavily tweaked, making it easier to block with Blade Dash.
Fulgore’s cancellations have been unlocked to open up their options, meaning players have to think more about attacking a blocking opponent. Its eye lasers are easier to counter, its window has almost twice as many frames. While it wasn’t fixed beyond a single bug, Heart amusingly noted that one bug with the TJ Combo was caused by a line of code that no one knew the origin of.
Aganos weakened some unbreakable combos, giving the opponent more chances to resist and get out of the relentless attack. His wall knockback has also been reduced to 40%, meaning he’s still very damaging, but not as absurdly large.
ARIA’s movement has been tweaked with a mix of small nerfs and some tweaks to how it jumps and pushes away from opponents. When his drone flies back, he is no longer invincible, adding another layer of strategy and opportunity for anyone who encounters him.
Kim Woo walks back and forth 15% faster, allowing him to play better “foot” with other characters. His jump has also been increased due to being the same as Iago. All normal versions of his Dragon Kick now ignore armor, a change designed to put him at a terrible disadvantage against Aganos.
Tusk’s crazy cancels have been adjusted, allowing players to get more of these cancels at once. Some other minor hit sequence changes were also made for Tusk.
It’s time for the list everyone has been waiting for. Rash’s wrecking ball tweaks include the complete removal of air armor. Damage cannon moves and their block stuns have been reduced to just 10 frames each. Added six cooldowns to heavy hit. Added six frame block stun and shot timing to balance the motion. Reduced the cancel window for the stopped heavy hit, and the confirmed shot for the stopped heavy hit is now more difficult. Reduced corner and instinct damage for the forging ram move. Rush’s wrecking ball ender’s wall bounce range now pushes half as far as before. After breath, Rash’s wrecking ball ender is still considered one of the best wallboards in the game.
Rash’s nerf list is a page and a half long, and additional changes include a nerf to his throw, reducing damage from 45 to 35. Each hit of Rush’s ender types has been reduced by a total of 1-2 points. The big bad boot of the rash shadow has also been dramatically nerfed.
Gargos’ light portal strike has been reduced from 10 to 7, and the stun of the entire portal strike block has also been slightly reduced.
General RAAM also has only one change. All versions of crow run try to capture a frame after the run is over. This was previously assigned to five frames. This prevents running out of armor in a hurry before the hold takes effect.
Eyedol’s self-hit on awakening increased the damage he dealt to himself to change mode, and rolled dice to change the character’s mode. Eyedol’s shadow bolt strike is now completely invulnerable to projectiles only. Heart says that no one on the team remembers making the regime completely untouchable in the past. Mage mode weaknesses are now better balanced.
Shin Hisako made only one change. His forward moving spirit orb now moves twice as fast as before. “He’s a very rich character with untapped potential,” Heart said.
Eagle is the last character released for the game and has the fewest tweaks and tweaks. It’s now tuned for more zoning and less lock-in to be more in line with the original vision of the character. Eagle Bird now has a 210fps cooldown after a voiced screech, limiting how often players can spam the powerful move.
Absolute protection now saves players from being exposed while blocking the shriek and bird bomb. The Bird Bomb explosion now has a larger hitbox and lands near the Eagle in addition to increased damage. The birdie for the eagle has also been improved. The team fixed an issue where three shots would not be checked correctly when players used the back stick. It is now much easier to perform the movements in a reliable sequence. Improved all non-inferior destinations for Bird Fling.
Eagle’s instinct mode was known as the weakest in the game and often felt like it got in the way of players. Peck now juggles airborne opponents and the hitbox has been increased by 2x to avoid stinks. Playing with an eagle is a bit better and playing against a bunch of nerfs and buffs is less of a nightmare.
The Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition is coming
As the stream draws to a close, we get a recap of the transition to Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition. Killer Instinct Definitive Edition on Xbox and PC will be removed from the store. Players who own the Definitive Edition, which is currently on sale for just $13, will automatically be upgraded to the Anniversary Edition upon release. The Xbox Game Pass edition of Killer Instinct will also be upgraded to the Anniversary Edition.
The KI Anniversary Edition will have a lower price tag of $29.99.
If you currently own the Definitive Edition, some of the included adult-rated content will not be included in the KI Anniversary Edition. It includes the Definitive Edition standalone app with developer interviews, concept art, and the Killer Cuts soundtrack. Xbox KI Classic 1 and 2 will also not be included in the Anniversary Edition. Players who own additional content for KI Definitive Edition will be able to download that content even after the game is discontinued.
The update is currently in final testing and no release date announced at this time. Full patch notes are coming.