Killer Instinct is a series of fighting video games first made by Rare. The game was published by Midway, Nintendo, and later by Xbox Game Studios after the remake. The original Killer Instinct was released for arcade machines in 1994. It was later released for the Super NES and Game Boy in 1995. The next game, Killer Instinct 2, was released for arcades in 1996. It was later released as Killer Instinct Gold for the Nintendo 64.

The series started over with the release of Killer Instinct in 2013 for the Xbox One.

Games

Killer Instinct is an arcade fighting game created by Rare and published by Midway. It was first released in arcades in 1994. The game said it would be released in 1995 for a planned "Nintendo Ultra 64" home console. The Ultra 64 later became the Nintendo 64, but the original Killer Instinct was never made for this console. Instead, the game was released on the SNES on October 27, 1994. This version came with a CD of remixed music and a special black-colored cartridge. A version for the Game Boy was released the following year. Both the SNES and Game Boy versions were published by Nintendo. A digital version called Killer Instinct Classic was released in 2013 as part of a bundle with the first season of its sequel on Xbox One. The SNES version of Killer Instinct was re-released as a Nintendo Switch Online game on February 21, 2024.

The characters in Killer Instinct were made using a process called pre-rendering, instead of pixel art or images of real people.

Killer Instinct 2 was a 1996 arcade-only game developed by Rare, approved by Nintendo, and produced by Midway. It was the sequel to Killer Instinct. The game was also planned for the SNES but was never released. Later, it was released on the Nintendo 64 under the name Killer Instinct Gold, published by Nintendo. A digital version called Killer Instinct 2 Classic was released in 2013 as part of a bundle with the second season of its sequel on Xbox One. Killer Instinct Gold was also included in the Rare Replay compilation.

A reboot of the Killer Instinct series was developed by Double Helix Games, with guidance from Ken Lobb. It was the first game in the series published by Microsoft Studios and was released in November 2013 as a launch title for the Xbox One. After Double Helix Games was acquired by Amazon, Iron Galaxy Studios took over development of post-launch content. A version for Windows 10 was released in March 2016 on the Windows Store and on Steam in September 2017.

Gameplay

Killer Instinct is a fighting game where players compete in one-on-one battles. The game uses attack styles from Street Fighter and includes finishing moves inspired by Mortal Kombat.

Key features that make it different from other games include:

• Double Energy Bar: Instead of winning two rounds, each player has two energy bars. If a player depletes their opponent’s first energy bar, the fight pauses and resumes, but the player keeps their current energy. The fight ends when a player depletes their opponent’s second energy bar.

• Automatic Combos: Players do not need to press buttons in a specific order to perform a combo. Instead, combos are automated and can be triggered by a special move or button press, causing the character to deliver a series of attacks.

• Finishing Moves: Found in the first and second games, these moves resemble Mortal Kombat’s Fatalities. Each character has at least two moves called "No Mercy" (later renamed "Danger Move") to defeat opponents. These moves can be used at the end of a combo or when an opponent’s life bar turns red. Unlike Fatalities, No Mercy moves do not involve graphic violence. Another move, "Humiliation," forces the opponent to dance, but it can only be used if the player still has their first energy bar. If the opponent is important to the player’s story, using a finishing move may change the game’s ending.

• Ultra Combo: This is a long series of hits that can kill the opponent. Like a finishing move, it may change the game’s ending if the opponent is significant to the player’s story. Stage Ultra is similar but depends on the fighting stage and positioning. It can involve actions like knocking an opponent off a building or trapping them in a magical book.

• Combo Breaker: A player caught in a combo can escape by using a special move called a "Combo Breaker." The timing and strength of the move matter. If the move is used correctly, the opponent is knocked away without taking damage. If not, the player cannot attempt another break for 3 seconds.

• Knockdown Value: Introduced in the 2013 version, combo attacks do not immediately reduce health. Instead, they build up a "damage potential" meter (shown as a white haze over the health bar). This meter must be used with a finishing move. If the combo is not finished when the meter is full, the combo ends, and damage potential resets. Using Instinct Mode or a counter-breaker can reset the meter, allowing longer combos.

• Instinct Mode: Introduced in the 2013 version, this mode activates when a player takes damage or uses combo breakers. When the mode’s gauge fills, players gain special abilities, such as increased attack power or unique effects. If used mid-combo, it also resets the knockdown value.

• Counter Breaker: Also introduced in the 2013 version, this is a move used during a combo to trick the opponent. If the opponent responds with a combo breaker, they are locked out of breaking for 4 seconds, and the knockdown value resets. If the opponent does not break, they become vulnerable to attack.

Characters

Chief Thunder, a Native American leader who carries twin tomahawks, enters the tournament to learn what happened to his missing brother, Eagle, during the previous year's competition.

In the game's new version, Thunder—also known as hinmatoom—is the grandson of a chief and the son of tribal police officers. He lives on a Nez Perce reservation in Idaho with his brother, Eagle. As a teenager, Thunder goes on a vision quest and sees a giant crow, which tells him he will one day fight an evil monster and should begin training with tomahawks. Later, when Thunder and Eagle are in their late 20s, their parents are killed by a company called Ultratech, but the details of their deaths are hidden. Eagle joins a group called the Disavowed to investigate and enters the first Killer Instinct tournament. Ultratech later claims Eagle was killed in a match and refuses to return his body for burial. Grieving, Thunder tries to break into an Ultratech plant but is arrested. The plant is destroyed in a fire, which hides evidence about his parents' deaths and Eagle's disappearance. Thunder is falsely accused of starting the fire and goes into hiding in New Mexico for a year. During this time, he has another vision quest and sees a metal eagle. Determined, Thunder paints his face and enters the second Killer Instinct tournament to find clues about his brother and seek answers. After discovering that Eagle may have been used in the creation of a weapon called a Fulgore unit, Thunder vows to find his brother and destroy the Fulgores. He later frees a character named Aganos from Ultratech's control, and they team up to find Eagle and another enemy named Kan-Ra.

In the 2013 version of Killer Instinct, Thunder's fighting style focuses more on grappling than other characters. His design was changed to be more respectful of Native American culture, with help from a member of the Nez Perce tribe. In December 2016, a new costume for Thunder was added to the game. This costume was created with input from members of the Nez Perce tribe to accurately reflect their traditions.

Ben Ferris is a criminal who was promised early release from prison if he helped Ultratech test chemical weapons. During an accident, his body became completely made of fire. Now known as Cinder, he is told he can return to his original form if he defeats another character named Glacius in the tournament. However, Cinder fails to beat Glacius and is killed.

Cinder returns in the second season of Killer Instinct for Xbox One, with a changed backstory. In this version, Ferris was a former military soldier who became a criminal. He is hired by a company called Trilodyne to steal information about Ultratech's secret project, "Project Cinder." He discovers the project involves alien technology but is caught by a character named ARIA, who reveals Trilodyne was working for Ultratech. ARIA offers Ferris a job, and he agrees. His DNA is combined with Glacius's, giving him powers controlled by a mask and suit designed by ARIA. Cinder now works for ARIA and helps her with her plans. After killing another character named Sadira, Cinder becomes ARIA's second-in-command and is seen with her when another character named Gargos opens a portal to another dimension.

In the early stages of Killer Instinct's development, Cinder had different names, such as "Meltdown" and "Pyrotech."

Eyedol is a two-headed, one-eyed ancient warrior who was trapped in a prison in another dimension long ago. Ultratech releases him to fight in the first Killer Instinct tournament. In the second game, Eyedol fights another character named Gargos. In Eyedol's ending, he is supposedly found by his mother (as a boy named "Billy") after being lost in a car crash as a child. However, Eyedol attacks his mother in a humorous way, similar to a character from another game.

In Killer Instinct: Season Three, Eyedol is introduced as a human warrior chosen by the Ichoreans to protect Earth from an invasion by Gargos. He defeated Gargos and was crowned king of an empire, but the energy from the Astral Plane corrupted him, turning him into a monster. He was imprisoned by the Ichoreans but was later released during Gargos's takeover of the Astral Plane. Gargos tricked Eyedol into fighting weaker enemies, weakening him before defeating him and splitting his head in two. Eyedol's soul was separated into two parts, and his body was divided among Gargos's followers to stop him from returning. In the present, a character named Kan-Ra retrieves Eyedol's soul and asks others to find his body parts to revive him. Eyedol is used to help fight Gargos but eventually joins the group to defeat their shared enemy.

In early versions of the game on the SNES, Eyedol was playable, but in the arcade and later SNES versions, he was a secret character that could be unlocked with a code. He is the only character without special finishing moves but can heal during battles. In the new version, only one of Eyedol's heads is active at a time, with each head having different abilities. The Warrior head uses a weapon like a club for close combat, while the Mage head uses it to create lightning and spells for long-range attacks. Players can switch heads by punching themselves, and both heads can be used together in a special mode.

Fulgore is a cyborg and the second-to-last opponent in the first Killer Instinct game's single-player mode. Created by Ultratech, Fulgore is the first in a planned series of advanced cyber soldiers. Designed to look like a knight to gain public trust, rumors suggest the human parts used in his creation came from an organ-harvesting operation in Moscow. Before Fulgore's first model is completed, scientists begin work on an improved version. To test Fulgore's strength, the prototype is entered into the Killer Instinct tournament. If he wins, he will be mass-produced. In the sequel, a more powerful version of Fulgore is created after the first model is destroyed by another character named Jago.

Merchandise

A collectible card game based on the series was created by Topps and released in 1996. This was Nintendo's first attempt at making a collectible card game, and it included lower quality images from the original game. Soundtracks for all three games were also released.

The game Killer Instinct was turned into a comic book series twice. The first version was made by Acclaim Comics and included two short comic series with three issues each, released in 1996. These comics were based on the first two games. The second comic series was made by Dynamite Comics and included six issues that continued the story from the 2013 game. These comics were released from September 2017 to April 2018. A collection of all six comics was published as a trade paperback on September 11, 2018.

A special arcade stick made by Mad Catz was released when the 2013 game came out. In 2016, Ultimate Source released a set of collectible character figures. Each figure had a code that let players unlock a special color for their character in the 2013 game. These colors were later made available to all players as part of the Anniversary Edition.