King of Fighters XII debuted alongside the playable Street Fighter 4 at the AOU show in Japan last month. Both games retained their traditional 2D gameplay (applause), but received significant visual upgrades that were immediately apparent.

While KOFXII maintained a more 2D look than SF4’s clearly 3D models, it was assumed by many that the game was still utilizing 3D assets or cell shading—however it was hidden. Prepare to be impressed, because according to producer Masaaki Kukino, this isn’t the case at all.

Kukino tells Kotaku, “The game is one hundred percent hand drawn. There is zero cell shading in The King of Fighters XII.”

SNK’s process involves taking original art drawn by hand, modeling it in 3D– allowing for greater detail in animations– then transferring it back into 2D for extensive frame-by-frame touch-up, including color and pixel-by-pixel details all done by the artist’s hand. Considering all the characters and backgrounds, the sheer number of frames to process is mind-boggling.

SNK’s devotion to the tradition of the genre is admirable and KOFXII must be a real labor of love for them. I cannot wait to see more of the game in motion and I hope that SNK gets the credit they deserve for this endeavor.

2D fighting games have been on the decline for some time, with their 3D counterparts being much more prevalent in arcades and on consoles. While games like Tekken, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter see updates and frequent sequels, fans of 2D fighters are still playing games like Street Fighter: Third Strike and Capcom Vs. SNK 2.

Seeing Street Fighter and King of Fighters re-emerge is really exciting. While fighting games have a notoriously heady learning curve for those without years of experience, 2D fighters can be more accessible. With online play being emphasized this generation, perhaps these two games can find a larger audience than they have in the past.

Source: Kotaku

Tags: 2d_fighters, 2d_fighting_games, 3d_assets, cell_shading, king_of_fighters_xii, labor_of_love, soul_calibur, street_fighter_third_strike

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