In the gaming world, it’s difficult for a title to innovate in any genre, and not because thinking of something new is hard, but because market trends corner developers into creating their games with a standard formula. However, there are games that go beyond that and create new concepts. One of these games was The King of Fighters '94.

Without a doubt, the title that started the fighting games phenomenon was Street Fighter 2, but if I had to mention another series that comes very close to that one, it would be The King of Fighters; to start, the structure of the fights changes radically with a team of three fighters instead of the classic one-on-one battles. This is already something novel, and even more so if you add the fact that the team members are established characters from other great fighting sagas like Fatal Fury or Art of Fighting.

In total, there are eight different teams we can choose from, each representing a specific country, like this: Mexico, Robert Garcia, Ryo Sakazaki, Takuma; England, Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, King; Italy, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi; China, Sie Kensou, Athena Asamiya, Chin; Japan, Goro Daimon, Benimaru, Kyo Kusanagi; Brazil, Heidern, Clark, Ralf; Korea, Choi, Chang, Kim; and finally, the United States with Brian, Heavy and Lucky. So, as you can see, there is no lack of variety, as each participating team has a defined style, making the trios very balanced, with power and speed.

Everything is very well made in terms of approach, but the best part comes in the gameplay, as it allows you to perform all kinds of combos, and the special attacks are quite easy to execute. These super moves can be performed at two specific moments in the fights: the first is when your energy bar is flashing red (meaning you are about to lose), and the second one is when you charge your special bar located at the bottom of the screen, which is filled by receiving hits or by pressing all buttons except the one for the strong kick, adding more strategy to the fights since you have to measure your enemy’s actions so they don’t hit you while you charge your bar. One way to prevent your opponent from charging their special is by pressing the strong punch, which will perform a taunt that reduces the power of their bar.

For me, the small details are the best thing in a game, and by this I mean those visual elements that are hard to notice at first but that fill the title with life. In KOF '94 there are several details that didn’t appear in later versions, which makes this edition special. For example, characters get dizzy after receiving several hits, and if you press the buttons quickly, one of your team members will jump in to hit your opponent so you can recover. Another interesting detail is that each of the stages where you fight has an intro; these vary from a shot of the sky, doors opening, to even a lightning strike. All of this makes the fights more exciting.

In conclusion, despite being quite an old game, KOF '94 still retains its appeal, thanks to its great visual design and fights that are fun and exciting.