How to Get Started in The King of Fighters ALLSTAR

The King of Fighters ALLSTAR hasn’t quite been out for a year yet, but it’s picking up steam recently thanks to a widespread bemusement towards its current crossover event. It even brought me back after I had taken a bit of a break. Some of ALLSTAR’s systems can be a little janky or frustrating, but at its core, combining fighting game properties with beat ‘em up gameplay is a lot of fun. I play this on a much more casual level compared to Dragalia Lost, but I do have a few pointers locked and loaded.

If you’re looking to jump in, but finding a need for a King of Fighters ALLSTAR guide to help you wade through the nonsense, look no further. Here are a few tips I think are crucial for getting the most out of SNK and Netmarble’s quirky little brawler.

A good defense…

The King of Fighters ALLSTAR is as much of a defensive game as it is about racking up sick combos. Especially as you move up the rankings, the AI gets more and more aggressive. After all, they have the same tools you do, and those tools are kinda busted. So while it’s tempting to just run in and start throwing hands, the AI won’t think twice about popping its emergency dodge and laying you out. A much better approach in tough fights is to hang back and create an opening before you attack, to make sure you can get that juggle state without getting bodied.

Those juggles tho

Sooner rather than later, you’re going to have a full team of three fighters and three strikers. Everything you can do in ALLSTAR, from specials to swapping characters, runs on individual cooldowns. That includes each character’s suite of special moves. And, for the most part, it’s really easy to extend a juggle state, especially in the corners. Not only do most special moves end with a juggle window, tagging in another character also resets the juggle to all but guarantee the next hit lands. Once you get used to the timing, you can call in the whole team and run through all your specials, sometimes netting the win in one combo.

Don’t get got by the gacha

There’s a super fun event right now, crossing over The King of Fighters with the WWE. Even if you aren’t into wrestling, the WWE affectations and storylines are hilariously weird. You may be tempted to do gacha pulls every time you have enough rubies, but even if you get the character you want, you might walk away disappointed. This is one of those dreaded games with multiple gachas, meaning characters get powered up by additional unlocks.

So if you get a Terry Bogard, for example, he won’t be complete until you get his special card, his unique option card, and so on. It’s better to take advantage of the free content (events do offer some free characters for playing) and stockpile rubies until you’re ready to play high roller. The basic characters’ cards are also obtainable by other means, making spending rubies on normal pulls kinda pointless. ALLSTAR also gives the usual daily free pulls, and personally I’ve had pretty good luck getting Ultra Rare drops from those. If you’re patient enough, you can get pretty far without emptying your premium coffers.

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for some further coverage on The King of Fighters ALLSTAR for yours truly, because I’m having a great time laying waste to the KoF community as John “Box of Fruity Pebbles” Cena. Seriously, the Riot of the Blood has nothing on the virtues of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.

The King of Fighters ALLSTAR is currently available for compatible iOS and Android devices.