Progress on King of Fighters
Team leader Shimizu, as if injected with adrenaline, immediately called on the two testers from before to start another round.
This time, the fiery young man Kyo Kusanagi's opponent was a blond young man wearing a red baseball cap and a denim vest.
"We followed the plan you gave us exactly when you initiated the project!" Team Leader Shimizu pointed to the health bars of the two characters at the bottom of the screen.
"Whether you land a successful attack, successfully block an opponent's attack, or even execute a beautiful combo, you will accumulate energy."
On the screen, Kyo Kusanagi and his opponent exchanged blows, and as their fists and feet clashed, the energy bar below gradually increased.
"Let's see how the super special move is done." Takuya nodded.
"Okay." Team Leader Shimizu immediately demonstrated a more complex move.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Kyo Kusanagi player on the screen seized an opening, jerked the joystick, and pressed the button!
The screen went dark instantly, and a surge of flames erupted from Kyo Kusanagi's body. He swung his hand forward, and a huge fan-shaped flame swept across the entire screen like a tsunami, instantly evaporating a large portion of his opponent's health bar.
It is the herb family's closely guarded secret technique— the Orochinagi!
"Pretty!"
"This is it!"
The surrounding developers cheered.
This magnificent and domineering strike is the culmination of their hard work over this period of time, and it makes one's blood boil no matter how many times one watches it.
Takuya's gaze, however, caught another detail.
"Just now, at the moment the opponent made their move, Kyo Kusanagi did a forward roll, directly getting behind the opponent." He looked at Shimizu, "You guys have also completed this dodging function?"
Team Leader Shimizu was taken aback, not expecting the executive director to have such keen observation skills, noticing even such a minute detail.
He nodded quickly and explained excitedly, "Yes, Executive Director! This is the evasion system you envisioned!"
By quickly inputting commands, the character can roll forward or backward a short distance, gaining a brief period of invincibility! This completely changes the offensive and defensive rhythm of traditional fighting games, making everything from dodging projectiles and rising dragon punches to close-quarters pressure much more flexible!
To prove this, he had the blond youth in the hat launch a ground wave from a distance, while Kyo Kusanagi executed a clean forward roll, passing through it unscathed and instantly closing in on his opponent.
The entire Development Group Three was beaming with pride.
They knew they were creating a completely new fighting experience.
"So, what's the most crucial thing?" Takuya crossed his arms, his tone calm, yet everyone perked up their ears. "What about the system that gives hope to the weak, that allows players to see a chance to turn the tide even in dire straits?"
Team Leader Shimizu's eyes lit up instantly; he knew that the executive director had touched on the very soul of the entire system!
"I was just about to demonstrate for you!"
He shouted to the tester, "A-Ken, stop defending, let him hit! Let him bleed a little!"
"Okay!"
The tester controlling Kyo Kusanagi immediately abandoned defense and took a full combo from the opponent. His health bar dropped rapidly, and he soon entered the constantly flashing red danger zone.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
"Executive Director, look!" Team Leader Shimizu's voice trembled slightly. "When stamina drops to red and enters the 'red blood state,' even if the energy bar isn't full, the player can still consume all their energy to forcefully unleash a super special move!"
This is a chance we designed for the disadvantaged side to seize their last lifeline!
Before the words were even finished, Kyo Kusanagi, with his health nearly depleted, unleashed another devastating "Orochinagi" during a lull in his opponent's attacks, successfully turning the tide of the battle!
"But that's not enough!" Team Leader Shimizu clenched his fist, his eyes fixed on the screen. "If—"
A player, while in a low-health state, used their superior skills to refill their energy bar once again—so—"
Everyone held their breath.
On the screen, the low-health Kyo Kusanagi danced on the edge of a knife, each block and counterattack causing his energy bar to rise.
Finally, under the deathly silence of the entire audience, the flickering energy bar was full!
"Now!" Team Leader Shimizu roared!
The tester's fingers blurred across the joystick and buttons!
Boom-!
A completely different performance appeared! The entire screen's color tone changed, and Kyo Kusanagi turned a fiery orange-red, unleashing a fiery aura several times stronger than before. He concentrated all his power into a single punch, unleashing the MAX version of the Hyakuhachi Style: Orochinagi!
The raging flames and destructive power seemed to burn through the screen!
The opponent's health bar was instantly emptied.
"K.0.!"
After a moment of silence, the entire development team erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.
"Wow! That's so cool! That's the MAX super move!"
"This performance was absolutely amazing!"
After the thunderous cheers and applause subsided, the entire Development Group Three remained immersed in immense excitement, with everyone's face beaming with pride and joy.
Once the noise subsided slightly, Nakayama Takuya clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"Very good, very good." He began by giving full affirmation, "Whether it's the performance of the special moves or the power of the MAX super special move, it has met my expectations. It truly brings out the full potential of System 32. This system is enough to drive fighting game players all over the world crazy."
He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the young and excited faces.
"So, what about the roles? Such a glamorous stage needs a lot of actors. How are you planning the cast?"
Upon hearing this question, Team Leader Shimizu immediately straightened his back, picked up a document from the table next to him, and handed it over.
"Executive Director, we've basically built the team according to the framework you initially provided. We're forming teams by country or region, and so far we've completed the Japan Team, the Korea Team Fatal Fury Team, and the United States teams from the Fatal Fury and Kyokugenryu Karate's Art of Fighting Team."
He paused, then cautiously added, "However— the Mercenary Team you specifically requested," because of their unique character settings and background, we haven't started working on them yet.
"Just put it aside." Takuya glance at the document, waving his hand dismissively. "I've prepared a surprise for you, or rather—an Easter egg."
"An Easter egg?" Shimizu and the other team members around him were stunned.
"That's right." A playful glint flashed in Takuya's eyes. "I'm planning to borrow a team from Metal Slug for a cameo role."
"Metal Slug!" Everyone immediately got excited. With the first wildly popular System 32 arcade title linking up with their game, the fun factor was increased even more.