The King of Fighters 2003
| The King of Fighters 2003 | |
|---|---|
Arcade flyer featuring Duo Lon, Shen Woo and Ash Crimson | |
| Developer(s) | SNK Playmore |
| Publisher(s) | SNK Playmore
|
| Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki Kazuya Hirata |
| Designer(s) | T. Mieno |
| Artist(s) | Tatsuhiko Kanaoka |
| Composer(s) | Masahiko Hataya Yasumasa Yamada Yasuo Yamate |
| Series | The King of Fighters |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 12 December 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
The King of Fighters 2003 (KOF 2003, or KOF '03) is a fighting video game for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, produced by SNK Playmore in 2003. It is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series and the last one released for the Neo Geo, which had served as the primary platform for the series since The King of Fighters '94. It was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and was released on both consoles in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the preceding game in the series, The King of Fighters 2002. In 2019, the game was ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The game uses a 3-on-3 Tag Battle format in which players can change characters in the middle of a fight. Each team has one leader with access to a Leader Super Special Move. The narrative of the game involves a new tournament set by "R" with two parallel bosses serving as final bosses. The game is notable for starting the story arc of newcomer Ash Crimson, with the story arc itself titled the "Tales of Ash" which contrasts previous story arcs for the ambiguous nature of its protagonist as an apparent villain with a new organization seeking the power of the demon Orochi sealed in The King of Fighters '97. Falcoon worked as the main illustrator. The team worked the game so that it would be more accessible than previous installment by giving the player the chance of being able switch characters whenever they need to.
Critical reception to this game has been mixed due to the major change of the regular gameplay associated with the series. Nevertheless, the speed of the gameplay was often seen as a major improvement. Its sequel was The King of Fighters XI, released in 2005 for a new arcade besides ports, though SNK the 3D spin-offs KOF: Maximum Impact would also build up in the series' third story arc.