The console versions feature online play, but both the 360 and PS3 versions suffer from inefficient network code. The single player mode is just a standard time attack. Since this is technically a Dream Match game, there’s no story, no predetermined teams, and no ending. What little music there is is barely memorable. There are only five backgrounds that, while nice looking, feel sparse and empty. The rest of the game feels remarkably barren. Many characters play very differently as a result, sometimes for the better (like the drastically redesigned Kensou, who now wears his Chinese uniform from Psycho Soldier), others for the worse (such as Iori and the lack of his purple flame attacks.) Much of the timing and range for the existing moves has changed, too. Most only have two or three specials, and only one super. The characters also have significantly dwarfed movesets. The tag-team switching is gone completely, and the action is a bit slower than it used to be in KoF 2003 or XI. The fighting itself also plays out like older games on the series. The only really “new” character, at least for King of Fighters, is Raiden/Big Bear, who initially appeared back in the original Fatal Fury.
The console version also adds Mature, who now has an eyepatch. The stars of the Sacred Treasure arc – Ash, Shen Woo, and Duo Lon – are all here, and Elisabeth shows up in the console release, but otherwise it’s all older characters. All of the NESTS saga folks are AWOL too, so that means no Kula, K’, Vanessa, Maxima or Whip. Mai, King, Blue Mary, Yuri, and Takuma? All gone. The selection largely hearkens back to the early days, bringing back Andy and Joe, but removes other long time stalwarts.
The character roster is the smallest it’s ever been for the series, topping out at 20 in the arcade version and 22 on home consoles. It’s nice to see SNK try to modernize the visuals, but it came completely at the expense of everything else. There’s also a Guard Attack, which is essentially a counter move for every character that executes a blowback when attacked. Reminiscent of weapon-based fighting games is the “Sousai” or “Deadlock” effect when two characters hit each other at exactly the same time, repelling them both. If timed correctly, the opponent is stunned and vulnerable to custom combos, similar to those from Street Fighter Alpha 2 (and the V-ism from Street Fighter Alpha 3.) This can potentially cause skeezy opponents to spam Critical Counters when they’re activated, although they’re not too hard to punish. Once it fills, you can execute counters while standing still and pressing an attack button, but only for a limited time.
Similar to the Revenge meter from Street Fighter IV, it’s a secondary gauge that fills up as you take damage. The new poster feature to the system is called “Critical Counters”. Nona returns as the character artist, and he’s improved significantly since KoF 2002. It does look a bit old fashioned when stacked next to Arc System’s Blazblue, the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear that has sprites at an even higher resolution, but K oF XII‘s sprites are still more detailed and better animated, if not quite as crisp. It looks fantastic in motion, too, with some quality animation that outshines the previous KoF games (although not Mark of the Wolves and Street Fighter III, still the most smoothly animated 2D fighters out there.) It’s also the first 2D KoF that utilizes a scaling camera, and the sprites are absolutely huge when fully zoomed in. The art style retains all of the skillful design of its ancestors, but with improved detail. It’s the first since the golden days of 2D fighters to have completely new character sprites, done at twice the resolution as the previous games. The King of Fighters XII represents a radical shake-up for the series.