The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle (1997). Play online

Summary

The Game Boy adaptation of SNK's KOF ’96, released overseas as The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle, squeezes the classic team‑fight formula into a pocket cartridge. Even though the screen is tiny, the game keeps the core three‑fighter teams and the frantic combo‑driven combat that defined the series.

On the handheld, the usual dodge has been replaced by an “emergency evasion” that lets you roll toward or away from your opponent, and you can choose jump height or even run forward instead of the classic hop. Super Special Moves still charge a Power Gauge, and when the gauge is full and your health is flashing red you can unleash an even stronger version of the move.

A hidden “Carnage” code fills the Power Gauge instantly for you and the CPU, opening up full‑strength Super Specials regardless of health. The Game Boy version also adds exclusive roster members such as Orochi Iori, Orochi Leona, a boosted Chizuru Kagura and the final boss Goenitz, plus Mr. Karate from Art of Fighting.

Overall it feels like a condensed KOF experience, with a few surprise extras that make the portable edition worth revisiting.

Storyline

The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle on Game Boy opens with a new King of Fighters tournament organized by Chizuru Kagura, heir of the Yata Clan. After Rugal Bernstein’s defeat, the invitation letters are no longer sent by him, and Chizuru steps in as the host. Her public goal is to find the tournament’s strongest fighters.

Behind the scenes Chizuru seeks Kyo Kusanagi and his rival Iori Yagami, the descendants of the other two sealing clans, to help her reseal the Orochi demon. She believes the two will set aside their rivalry and join forces against the looming threat. The Yata, Kusanagi, and Yashanaki clans have historically sealed Orochi, and the new tournament is a lure to gather the heirs. Recruiting Kyo and Iori is essential to stop the upcoming Orochi resurgence.

The final opponent is Goenitz, a servant of Orochi determined to thwart Chizuru’s plans. He ambushes her after she tests the tournament winners. Depending on the player’s choice, Goenitz is either defeated by the allied Kyo and Iori, who incinerate him, or he falls to Chizuru’s late sister Maki’s lingering spell. In either case his body vanishes in a tornado, ending the battle.