Killer Instinct

When the icy Combo Breaker rings out on screen at the very start and the characters begin chaining together endless strings of blows, it's clear this is no ordinary fighter. Killer Instinct arrived with the ambition to astonish, and it succeeded completely. This dark, aggressive and visually stunning brawl became one of the most distinctive brands of the mid-nineties.

At the heart of the game lies an elaborate combo attack system. Killer Instinct built its identity on long, flashily chained sequences of hits that an opponent could interrupt using the so-called Combo Breaker. This interplay of attack and defense gave fights a unique tactical layer and a visual flourish, with the hit counter climbing into dozens of strikes to the accompaniment of a roaring announcer. There was no shortage of brutal finishing moves in the spirit of its rival Mortal Kombat, either.

Behind the game stands the British studio Rare in cooperation with Nintendo, with the arcade version using pre-rendered 3D graphics that felt otherworldly at the time. This visual style, similar to the technology used in Donkey Kong Country, turned the characters and environments into a breathtaking spectacle. Killer Instinct came out for the Super Nintendo and became one of the most anticipated titles on the console.

The game's cultural impact was considerable. The home version for the SNES shipped with a bonus music album titled Killer Cuts, which contained remixed tracks from the game and underscored its energetic, almost soundtrack-like identity. The roster of fighters ranged from a skeleton and an ice warrior through a dinosaur to cybernetic beings, setting the game apart from the genre conventions of the day.

Killer Instinct received a sequel as well as a much later modern reboot, which successfully brought the brand to a new generation of players and confirmed that its combo system truly was timeless. For those who remember it, though, the original remains a symbol of the era when fighting games competed over which would dazzle more, and in that battle Killer Instinct was among the loudest.

Why play: For the adrenaline-fueled combo system, the iconic announcer and one of the technically most impressive fighting games of its time on the SNES.