Hey there, I’m both glad and afraid to say this game has pretty much nothing to do with the classic ones. I love the idea of learning a new game I’ve played already, but I’m still lazy and would love to have buffering and manual lights be combo’d into heavies for the sake of rotational variety.
Nostalgia aside, I fail to understand every character in this game. Just like other fighters have a plain simple roster with different mixups with a layer of customization on top for flavor, this game’s a customization itself and there’s no real pattern between characters (traits make the game really complex to understand, great idea).
To put it in just a few words: I want a character that’s easy to learn, so I don’t get frustrated. There’s always one character that makes me want to stop playing fighters, for Tekken that was Marduk, for SF there was a wild Vega, and in MKX I decided I had to learn Jax… I don’t want to choose a hard character to get started, and judging by what I’ve seen in tournaments and playing myself I’ll eventually pick something absurd I can’t play properly without 8h/day for 3 weeks at least, and dump the game.
In KI classic I learned Spinal and Fulgore, plus a bit of Thunder, then in KI2 I picked Spinal and Kimwu, but honestly, they have nothing to do with this game’s characters.
So, are there any universal easy-to-learn characters out there I should try to go for? Any help appreciated.
Jago. He’s the vanilla of the game, and the tutorial is built around him. He’s a good base to start with, while you get a feel for how to play other characters.
Well I forgot to mention I don’t like jago, I’ve cleared the whole tutorial dojo with him and want some variety. Besides, it reminds me of Skorpion, I hate skorpion, and super-ripped ninjas with some sort of ghostly powers for that matter.
Maybe try Saberwulf? Although he is the rushdown character of the game, he has a pretty easy to understand moveset. Also, his combo trait (rabid doubles) can help in combos
Sabrewulf gets my vote if you are not a fan of Jago. My next choice would probably be Thunder, fairly basic characters to get you into the game and can still pose a tremendous threat if you stick with them, Well you could say that with most characters in this game, These 2 characters are just a touch easier to start with.
Yeap, it’s based on another fighter. I would like they consider KI2 mechanics for a new KI. But I don’t think it will happen .This SF/asian fighters base mechanics were appealing for a lot of players,but I’ve never been a SF player so I had to relearn and learn lots of stuff.
Still KIs were “friendly” fighters for starters,this still remains in this KI (in a way…) but it got harder in other aspects.
This game is reaaaaly much up heavy compared to the old ones. Characters change too much from one to another. This along with a mixture of archetypes makes the game feel a bit strange. Something like you are playing characters from different games.
But something cool is that the game kinda allows different playstyles, so it leaves a nice spot for creativity and play when looking for combos and setting your gamestyle.
Whener I try a character I feel they have potential,there are no bad characters in the game.
It will still be frustrating when you get beaten by ppl,but well: fighthing games! n_n
About what you mentioned on the autodobles I totally thought of:
Shadow Jago: since you can just hit any button during combo and it will do the autodouble of the strength you choose. He is like Demitri from Darkstalkers.
He is also good for practicing manuals
Riptor can link some autodoubles with ease. (She is a hit and run character with nice mixups) and uses her fire in a different way.
Sabrewulf can repeat the same autodouble over and over (easy to break though). He is rushdown mix ups, straight forward character, but you can also play him in a patient way. Well,In KI 1 he would play the “charge” game so he wasn’t that rushdown. But in KI2 he would go crazy. New one is in the middle.
New Orchid is closer to her KI2 version,but the way she aproaches changed. Still she can play the footsie game and she has nice damage.
TJ Combo is similar to his old versions ,but more crazy. He can also grab you now and also continue his combos with juggles.
Thunder has changed a lot. He is a mix up grappler. His damage is no Joke, his normals are fine. His Instinct is strong and his samamish has become really annoying.
Glacius is now more zoner than before. He can give headaches to many players who doesn’t understand how to deal with him, also the impatient will get punished and he isn’t that hard to learn.
By the way, characters DO share a basic formula for combos. Honestly is easier than KI1 because the autodouble>linker formula works for everyone and there are more ways to extend the combo. Same with shadow counters and other features.
This is all you need if you want to learn the basics of this game characters
There are sections for each of them
My suggestion for begginers:
Sabrewulf: Simple but effective rushdown character
Rash: Simple but effective rushdown aerial character with moves which are hard to deal with
Fulgore: Developing Fulgore full potential is hard, but at basic level, he is a shoto character with lots of tool for each situation, so even if you don’t untap his full potential, he is fun/rewarding to play
Tusk: great DAHmage out of the combo system, which means that you will get good chunks of life from your opponent in less time
You really can’t go wrong with Wulf on this one, but another important question you need to ask yourself is what your playstyle is.
Wulf was my starter character in KI simply for the fact that he was a werewolf, but I found that I REALLY loved the playstyle offered by Sadira, and she has been my main since.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and test things out. Don’t be afraid to lab a bit. KI offers a vast diversity when it comes to play styles. So feel free to test them out.
I don’t have any clear preferences, I tend to go with whatever gives me versatility, really.
My picks are usually universally viable, and are never the best at anything, but have the choice to adapt since thwy can do everything, just with fewer possible mindgames.
For example, in MKX I played Erron Black gunslinger because it had setups, defense, offense, range, melee and a command grab. Later on I also learned Kung Jin Bojutsu because it had range, mixups, armor, speed, air games and strong launchers… I also had a basic grip on every single character, but for example I never liked stuff like Ferra Torr because it was just all of it about melee rushdown with 200 layers of armor, no versatility.
My pick in essence would be someone who feels comfortable playing where most characters are afraid to go, because I like it when others have to react quickly and recover their ground.
Fulgore has a tool for every situation, a meterless DP, teleport, High/Low/Left/Right mixups… It’s a monster. You will have to learn how to work around his meter management tho
Rash, meanwhile, it’s a character with great mobility, annoying specials, almost impossible to zone, fast… He is not dominant, he doesn’t have a lot of great MUs where he has a lot of advantage over his opponent, but same goes by the other side, not being dominated by any other character.
Also he has the best taunt ever made, and that’s something XD
Again,I think Shadow Jago could work. Even he is a “Jago”, he is a different one. He can zone, mix you up and has decent normals. Plus, his combo system may be one of the easiest to go for since he can link every autodouble and after linkers is not that hard to connect the corresponding manuals.
Fulgore is no doubt cool, but his meter management and movility without pips it’s restraining. And though I loved the character I find him boring to play after some matches.
Try both and check what you prefer the most. For what I’ve read of what you are looking for I would be cautious with Wulf, he has to work a lot in many match ups.
Just as a heads up, I would be careful in choosing Shago (in my opinion). There are lots of beginners who get the case of Shagoitis.
What is Shagoitis? It basically the over reliance of moves that rely on random mixups. Because Shago has fast mixup options in both dash and neutral, people can become to overly reliant on those random moves. This can promote random play and it won’t help in the long run. So if you play, focus more on your great normals rather then always focusing on unsafe mixups.
.This SF/asian fighters base mechanics were appealing for a lot of players,but I’ve never been a SF player so I had to relearn and learn lots of stuff.