With a new Street Fighter slated for next year, Tekken 7 in the works and Mortal Kombat X just weeks away, the future looks very bright for fighting game fans. That being said, the reigning champion of the genre on current generation of consoles is undoubtedly the ever-improving reboot of Killer Instinct.
Adopting a smart business model that groups content launches into ‘seasons’, Killer Instinct has managed to keep players engaged with a steady stream of new characters and game modes. New fighters are typically unveiled via a trailer that demonstrates their abilities and fighting style — and these clips typically sport a brief tease of the next combatant in their closing seconds.
That’s how we first saw Hisako, the Ring-inspired character who joins the Killer Instinct roster today for players who bought the game’s Ultra Edition and next week for their Combo Breaker Edition counterparts. Today’s trailer, however, fleshes out her backstory a bit, setting up the vengeful spirit’s quest to repay the soldiers who murdered her family.
It also shows off some of the movement options and unique abilities that are sure to make her a fan favorite. Hisako’s unusual, jerky motions look like a great way to confuse an opponent, and her naginata weapon — which apparently once belonged to her father — offers plenty of opportunities for some brutal combos.
While Killer Instinct players are no doubt keen to try out Hisako, the trailer ends with the now-traditional tease of the next character on the horizon. Unlike the ghost girl, however, longtime fans of the series’ early entries back in the 1990s will be very familiar with the fighter Iron Galaxy is adding to the game next.
The fiery Cinder was on the roster for the first Killer Instinct back in 1994, but didn’t return for the sequel. In this tease, he makes a grand entrance ahead of a brawl with TJ Combo. Fans will likely recognize the footage; it’s an extended version of the end of the first TJ Combo trailer from several months back, neatly bookending the content released for Season 2 of the game.
With the game’s current run coming to a close, it remains unclear whether we’ll see a Season 3 at some point. The game has only gotten better with every new bit of content over the last two years, so fans will likely be hoping we do see more — and comments from the game’s developers at PAX East earlier this month seems to suggest the fight isn’t over just yet.
Killer Instinct is available now on the Xbox One.
