THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97

THE KING OF FIGHTERS '97 is a beloved action fighting game that continues the three-player team battles of its predecessor while introducing two brand-new combat modes, bringing even more fun to players. The game boasts an extremely rich selection of characters, each with unique skill designs and battle animations. Choose your favorite character to duel against other players or AI, requiring you to skillfully move and press different buttons to unleash combos, leaving your opponent helpless and winning the battle. This also brings the game an almost limitless variety of characters and combo combinations.

Gameplay of THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97:

The King of Fighters '97 is a fighting game that features gameplay similar to previous installments in the series, which primarily involves the use of three-character teams. Two new playing styles are introduced, "Advanced" and "Extra", which the player can select before choosing their team.

Advanced mode is based on KOF '96 including the ability to dodge moves, counterattack or plan jumps but has a redesigned Power Gauge.[1] The Power Gauge, instead of charging, is now filled whenever the player strikes the opponent or when Special Moves are performed. The player can stock up to three Power Gauges. The player can use one stock of the Power Gauge to perform a Super Special Move or enter a "MAX" mode, in which the player's defensive and offensive strength are increased. By performing a Super Special Move while in MAX mode, the player can perform a more-powerful Super Special Move.

Extra mode is based on the first two games in the series, KOF '94 and KOF '95. As in those games, the player fills the Power Gauge by charging it or defending against the opponent's attacks. After the gauge is filled, the player enters MAX mode and, as in Advanced mode, their character's offense and defense increases. The player can only perform Super Special Moves in Max mode or when the life gauge is nearly empty and flashing red. The Super move are more powerful when the player performs a Super move in MAX mode while the life gauge is flashing red. The Emergency Roll maneuver from KOF '96 used in Advanced mode is replaced with the side-step from KOF '94 and KOF '95.

Features of THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97:

There’s nothing better than playing a game where you’re constantly discovering new things to satisfy your curiosity. Please put an end to the evil dark forces’ dangerous plots and devise solutions to the conflicts between the characters. Thank you.

Amazing Warriors: With THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97, players can take on heroic warriors such as Terry Bogard and the legendary Kyo Kusanagi. Then devise a strategy and plan to outsmart this team and take them down. You will never falter or be afraid of any opponent because of your bravery and unwavering will. While the enemy is frightened, you will be powerful and deliver surprise attacks that terrify them. Whether or not you become a great warrior depends on your level of sharpness and excellence.

Characters With Spacial Attacks: There are more than 30 unique and special characters that you will encounter in THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97. In order to learn more about each person’s personality and characteristics, you can interact and play with them Each character in this game has special abilities that will enhance your enjoyment of the game’s narrative. Furthermore, each character’s appearance and face are clearly depicted by the graphic designer. Each character has a distinct beauty and appearance, making it easy for players to tell them apart.

Defeat Your Enemy’s With Your Friends: As a new player to the game, you will have the opportunity to engage in friendly battles and exchange strategies with your peers. In the most enjoyable way possible, you can challenge and play with each other Assemble a team and take on each story’s most challenging foes, all while developing the best possible gameplay. The most enjoyable moments will be found in each game mode, so savour them all.

Open Fighting Areas: You will not be able to avoid all of your opponents’ pressure and attack in a way that is as agile and flexible as possible while fighting. Even if your strength runs out, click the health bar to take some time off and recharge your batteries so that you’ll be ready for the next challenge. When it comes to fighting, everyone has their own unique style.

Useful Tips of THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97:

Well, to start, KOF 97 is a VERY bugged game, there's a lot of infinite combos, broken characters and you can even crash the game with certain characters XD

First, you have 4 main buttons, A is Low Punch (LP), B is Low Kick (LK), C is Heavy Punch (HP) and D is Heavy Kick (HK). You can choose 3 characters, and you can choose between two gamemodes, Advance and Extra.

If you choose the Extra mode, you'll play with the same mechanics of KOF 96. You'll have a POWER bar on the lower part of the screen that you can charge manually pressing A, B and C at the same time. When your bar is full, you'll deal more damage, but if you do a Desperation Move (a Super) the bar will be depleted. However, if your POWER bar is not completely empty nor completely full, you technically have infinite supers. If you do Arrow keys twice you'll dash, and you can avoid attacks by pressing A and B at the same time. Most people doesn't use this mode, for it is way more impractical than the Advance.

If you choose the Advance mode, you'll play with the new mechanics. You'll have a bar on the lower part of the screen too, but it will charge automatically when you exchange attacks or perform special moves (like Shoryukens). Also it's stackable, you can save up to 3 Super stacks (green rectangles) and you can waste 1 to perform a Desperation Move. You can also activate the Max Mode by pressing A, B and C at the same time, and you'll deal more damage and you'll be able to perform a Super Desperation Move (or double Super), that'll deal more damage than a normal one. If you do (forward) twice, your character'll run, and if you keep it pressed, your character'll continue running. If you do (backward) twice, your character will dash back. If you press A and B at the same time, your character'll do a roll, avoiding normal attacks but being defenseless against command grabs (and I think normal grabs to(?).

In both modes (only if you have the full POWER bar in Extra), when you're covering, you can waste a Super Stack and press A and B at the same time to do a roll that may help you escape the pressure. On this same covering situation, you can waste a Super Stack by pressing C and D at the same time, and you character'll perform a hit that will knock your opponent to the ground if it lands, another way to escape the pressure.

About the characters moveset, there's lot of pages on internet with the information, after all this is a very popular game until today. Sorry if I messed up with the explanation, english ain't my first language, hope this was helpful.

Player Comments of THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’97:

The King of Fighters ’97 Global Match, developed by SNK CORPORATION and Code Mystics and published by SNK, serves as both a preservation effort and a renewed invitation to revisit one of the most influential entries in the long-running fighting franchise. Originally released during the height of the arcade era, KOF ’97 represents a pivotal moment in SNK’s competitive legacy—an installment that finalized the Orochi Saga narrative arc, expanded the roster, refined team-based mechanics, and solidified the series’ identity as a technical, rhythmically expressive fighting game distinct from its Capcom contemporaries. The Global Match release aims to maintain the heart of the original while modernizing it through online play, improved accessibility, and quality-of-life enhancements, offering new players a window into fighting game history while giving veterans a stable platform to continue competing.

At the core of KOF ’97 lies its signature three-versus-three team structure, a format that encourages players to think beyond individual matchups and build complementary squads that balance zoning, rushdown, defensive play, and meter management. The game’s roster—spanning iconic characters like Kyo, Iori, Terry, Mai, Benimaru, Leona, Athena, Kim, and Chizuru—reflects a wide range of playstyles, making team composition a strategic puzzle rather than a cosmetic choice. What elevates the combat beyond character diversity is the dual-mechanic system: players can choose between Advanced Mode and Extra Mode, each offering distinct movement options, combo potential, and meter behaviors. Advanced Mode prioritizes agility, rolls, dash pressure, and stored supers, while Extra Mode emphasizes timed charge supers, dodge-based defense, and high-risk comeback potential. This choice fundamentally alters pacing and tactical decision-making, ensuring that even mirror matches can unfold dramatically differently depending on mode selection.

Mechanically, KOF ’97 remains defined by precision inputs, deliberate movement, and psychological pressure. It rewards players who master spacing, jump arcs, anti-airs, hop pressure, and reads rather than relying purely on lengthy combos. Neutral play is tense and methodical, with short hops and hyper hops enabling fast, unpredictable offense, while defensive tools like guard cancel rolls and blowbacks require thoughtful meter use. Matches often play out like tactical duels rather than explosive showcases, with momentum swinging on well-timed punishes or positional advantage rather than raw damage output. This grounded pace may surprise newcomers accustomed to modern, flashier fighters, but it reflects the era’s design philosophy—one that emphasizes discipline, matchup knowledge, and mental endurance.

Narratively, Global Match still carries the emotional weight of the Orochi Saga’s conclusion, a storyline that helped define SNK’s approach to serialized fighting game storytelling. Character intros, team endings, and pre-battle interactions provide texture, personality, and continuity, reminding players that this roster existed long before crossover rosters became expected rather than novel. The escalating conflict with the Orochi power gives the tournament context and stakes, particularly for teams connected to the supernatural subplot. While modern fighting games may offer more cinematic storytelling, KOF ’97 remains compelling in its subtlety, relying on individual character dynamics and visual storytelling to carry narrative weight.

The presentation retains the distinctive Neo-Geo pixel art style, which remains vibrant, expressive, and timeless. Character sprites animate with confidence and attitude, conveying emotional identity through posture, strike arcs, idle stances, and super move theatrics. The backgrounds—ranging from urban arenas to cultural celebrations and eerie supernatural locales—capture a global, festive spirit reflective of the series’ title. One of the most notable elements of KOF ’97 is its soundscape, particularly its innovative “no music” approach for several matches, where ambient crowd noise and environmental sound replace traditional stage themes to heighten psychological tension. Voices, hit sound effects, and super move audio cues remain instantly recognizable, reinforcing the game’s iconic status.

Summary:

Growing up with bustling arcade game stores, I spent my entire carefree childhood utterly immersed in the exhilarating world of bone-crushing punches, breathtakingly beautiful moves, and fiercely fiery matches. The King of Fighters ’97, for me, is not just an ordinary game, but rather a towering monument, a glorious testament to the dazzling golden age of fighting games. This electrifying game ferociously ignited the unquenchable fire of passion in my young heart and meticulously laid the unshakeable foundation for my enduring love for the thrilling fighting game genre that persists unwavering until now.