Line #44 VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIII


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pic_king_of_fighters_13_poster.jpg]]
2
3	->"Dear Sir or Madam,\
4	It's 2010, and with much pride and pleasure\
5	we would like to announce our annual King of Fighters Tournament.\
6	Former participants and persons who have received this invitation may join teams,\
7	and will face off in heated 3-on-3 combat to decide this year's champion team.\
8	We look forward to your participation!"
9	-->--Sincerely, '''[R]'''
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11	The 13th game of the ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' franchise. The game continues on from ''KOF XI'' and is the final chapter in the "Tales of Ash" saga. It was released in arcades in 2010, on the Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/PlayStation3 in 2011 (curiously North American and Europe got the game first before Japan), and the PC via Steam in 2013, Humble Bundle in 2016, and GOG in 2018. It also has some Android and iOS ports as well.
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13	Rose Bernstein, the youngest child of the late Rugal Bernstein, sponsors and announces a new King of Fighters tournament. Once more, invitations are sent and teams old and new are formed to compete. But in the background, "Those from the Past", the European sect of Orochi's followers, have started to make a myriad of moves towards their nefarious endgame. Also seeking to finalise his plans is Ash Crimson, who now possesses two of the Three Sacred Treasures, with Kyo Kusanagi being his final target. It's anyone's guess as to what will happen at this year's King of Fighters...
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15	''KOF XIII'' drops the experimental systems introduced in ''XII'', but it also doesn't bring back the Shift TagTeam system from ''2003'' and ''XI''. From a gameplay perspective, ''XIII'' can be described as a pseudo-sequel to ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2002 The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match]]'' that was released a year earlier. A lot of fighting mechanics are standard ''KOF'' affair that the series' players would be acquainted with; the traditional 3-vs-3 match format, the multi-bar Power Gauge with Advantage system that increases its maximum stock number after losing a fighter, the EX Mode that works similarily to the MAX Mode, etc. A new addition in ''KOF XIII'' is Hyper Drive Gauge, another meter displayed above the Power Gauge that fills up independently. By spending a half of the HD Gauge, you can perform Drive Cancel, chaining a Super Move into another Super. When the HD Gauge is full, you can activate the Hyper Drive Mode, which reduces the amount of HD Gauge to perform a Drive Cancel for limited time, granting an opportunity to build a huge combo when used right. In addition, each character has an exclusive Super Move called Neo Max, which requires the most resources to execute (two Power Gauge stocks and a full of the HD Gauge, the second of which can be replaced by performing Drive Cancel in the HD Mode).
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17	''XIII'' is also the first game to adopt the DownloadableContent model, as the [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 versions were sold with [=DLCs=] that add three new characters and new stages. These [=DLCs=] are included by default in the Windows version available on Steam and GOG.com.
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19	In April 2023, SNK announced a re-release titled ''The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match'' for PC, Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/NintendoSwitch, with a network test scheduled for sometime in Summer 2023.
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21	[[folder: Teams]]
22	* '''Team Elisabeth:''' All three having been double-crossed by Ash, [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Elisabeth Blanctorche]], [[RubberMan Duo Lon]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Shen Woo]] team up to settle their scores with him.
23	* '''Team Japan:''' The bearer of the last Sacred Treasure, [[PlayingWithFire Kyo Kusanagi]] calls on his old friends [[AgentPeacock Benimaru Nikaido]] and [[TheBigGuy Goro Daimon]] to aid him in taking Ash down for what he did to Iori and Chizuru.
24	* '''Team ''VideoGame/FatalFury'':''' [[LivingLegend Terry Bogard]] reunites with his brother [[HighlyVisibleNinja Andy]] and [[HotBlooded Joe Higashi]] for another go around at [=KOF=].
25	* '''Team ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'':''' [[HeirToTheDojo Ryo Sakazaki]] and [[SharpDressedMan Robert Garcia]] team up once again, with Ryo's father [[OldMaster Takuma]] coming out of retirement to join them.
26	* '''Team ''[[VideoGame/IkariWarriors Ikari]]'':''' [[ReiAyanamiExpy Leona Heidern]], [[BashBrothers Ralf Jones and Clark Still]] set out to complete their mission, and put an end to Those from the Past once and for all.
27	* '''Team ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'':''' The J-pop idol [[MagicalGirl Athena Asamiya]] returns alongside [[TheIdiotFromOsaka Sie Kensou]], having mastered his Dragon Spirit powers, and their master [[DrunkenMaster Chin Gentsai]].
28	* '''Team Women Fighters:''' Another classic lineup reunites, with [[{{Bifauxnen}} King]], [[MsFanservice Mai Shiranui]] and [[GenkiGirl Yuri Sakazaki]] returning.
29	* '''Team Kim:''' [[JusticeWillPrevail Kim Kaphwan]] returns on his own team, but this time is joined by the wrestler [[{{Heel}} Raiden]] and the Muay Thai fighter [[AxCrazy Hwa Jai]] (both originating from the first ''Fatal Fury'' game, and the first time the latter is playable).
30	* '''Team Yagami:''' After losing his powers, [[TheBerserker Iori Yagami]] is approached by the seemingly alive servants of Rugal, [[SexySecretary Mature]] and [[SexIsViolence Vice]], who convince him to join this year's [=KOF=] and get revenge on Ash.
31	* '''Team K':''' [[NinetiesAntiHero K']], [[{{Cyborg}} Maxima]] and [[AnIcePerson Kula Diamond]] return to aid the Ikari Warriors in completing their mission.
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33	* '''Bosses'''
34	** Sub-Boss 1: If you meet certain conditions you can fight [[BigBad Saiki]] in his normal form or [[EvilBrit Billy Kane]].
35	** Sub-Boss 2: [[DudeLooksLikeALady Ash Crimson]], now bearing the flame powers he stole from Iori and ready to finalise his plan.
36	** Sub-Boss 3: [[OneWingedAngel Awakened Saiki]] - The leader of "Those From The Past", in his true form.
37	** Final Boss: [[NotHimself Evil Ash]] - Ash possessed by Saiki and sporting upgraded versions of his moves.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	'''Unmarked spoilers ahead.'''
41
42	----
43	!! This work provides examples of:
44	* AdaptationExpansion: The home versions have an extensive Story Mode with visual novel-style cutscenes. These are wordier than any installment before it, putting ''XIII'' as the installment to have the longest main story at the time of release.
45	* ArtEvolution: The sprite rework started in ''XII'', but its potential bloomed in this game. The characters themselves became huge, making their physique stand out.
46	* BittersweetEnding: Ash manages to prevent Saiki from going through the time door and enacting his place to the stop the heroes from sealing Orochi. However, since Ash had to trap Saiki and himself in the void, that creates a temporal paradox - if Saiki, Ash's ancestor, were to be erased from history, so would Ash himself. Ash apologizes to Elisabeth for all the trouble he caused before he disappears and any memory of him is slowly wiped from people's minds, except for Elisabeth - who holds onto his headband as a TragicKeepsake.
47	* {{Brainwashed}}: Rose is revealed to have been mind-controlled by Botan, a member of Those from the Past, in order to lure fighters to the tournament as well as make the Finals arena on top of a ritual ground in order to absorb all the fighting energy for their plan. It's implied she's been under Botan's control since ''KOF 2003'' hence why her demeanor has been so aggressive.
48	* DemotedToExtra: A large amount of characters from earlier in the saga (ie. Adelheid, Ramon, Vanessa and Blue Mary) appear as [=NPCs=] in the Story mode.
49	* DownloadableContent: A first in the main series. The [=PlayStation=] 3 and Xbox 360 versions have a DLC that add three characters (NESTS version Kyo, Iori with flames, and Mr. Karate). This is bundled by default in later releases like the PC version.
50	* EndOfAnEra:
51	** This is the last sprite based ''KOF'' game in the series. Starting from ''XIV'', the series would transition to 3D models.
52	** ''XIII'' was also the last game in the series to be developed for arcades first, with future entries being made for consoles first (though ''XIV'' did eventually see an arcade release).
53	* EXSpecialAttack: ''XIII''[='s=] EX Mode lets you perform an EX Special Move at the cost of one Power Gauge stock, an upgraded version of a regular Special Move that does more damage or have beneficial effects. You can also do this to Super Moves (see SuperSpecialMove).
54	* GoodAllAlong: Ash turns out to have been working against "Those From The Past" by himself so as not to trouble his friend Elisabeth with something he felt was a personal matter.
55	* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: Essentially "Those From the Past" ultimate goal, with Saiki wishing to open a time door to the past so he can go back in time and prevent Orochi from being sealed by the Kusanagi, Yata and Yasakani clans.
56	* NostalgiaLevel:
57	** The Abandoned Factory stage is a remake of Rivals Team's in ''[='95=]''.
58	** The Esaka stage is the same one from ''[='96=]'', shared by Japan and Psycho Soldier Team in that game.
59	** The ''Sky Noah'' airship makes a return from ''2003'', where you previously fought Adelheid if you missed the condition to fight the true final boss, Mukai.
60	** Mr. Karate's stage is the same place where Ryo (or Robert) fought him in the original ''Art of Fighting''.
61	** Kyokugenru Dojo here is based on the one in ''Art of Fighting 2'', although its 80s setting was updated to look more modern.
62	** Richard's Pao Pao Cafe is once again an available stage, mostly based on its ''Fatal Fury 3'' look.
63	* PaletteSwap: ''KOF XIII'' supports extensive customization of character sprite color, which can be used even in online matches. The default palette sets are quite huge, too.
64	* RecycledSoundtrack: You can play alternative soundtrack in [=PvP=] match, which is done by pressing Heavy Punch button in the arcade version and selecting "Type B" of the option menu in the home versions. It consists of music from previous SNK games, mostly from ''KOF 2003'' and ''XI''.
65	* RevisitingTheRoots:
66	** Hyperdrive mechanics aside, ''XIII'' is much more in line with the classic KOF titles than the rest of the Ash saga, with no tag mechanics in sight. Not only that, but a majority of teams are restored to their lineups in ''KOF '94'' and '''95'', with the only characters from later sagas to return being K', Maxima, Kula, Ash, Duo Lon, Shen and Elisabeth (though Saiki, Raiden and Hwa Jai all make their canon debut here).
67	** Characters are even reverted back to how they appeared in ''KOF 94'' and prior as well, such as Ryo back to having the orange hair he had in VideoGame/ArtOfFighting and Terry returning to his classic threads from VideoGame/FatalFury after having spent the last two games in his VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves attire.
68	* SeasonFinale: This is the end of the "Tales of Ash" started back in ''KOF 2003''.
69	* SpritePolygonMix: The usage is limited, but some stages have some 3D polygon assets in them. One example is the elephants in the India stage that are obviously 3D.
70	* SuperSpecialMove: The EX Mode can upgrade a Super Move into EX Super Move by spending two Power Gauge stock, although functionally this is almost identical to the way MAX Super Move works in ''2002 UM''.

Context VideoGame / TheKingOfFightersXIII