The King of Fighters '97

ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ '97

Year: 1997
Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Platform: Arcade
Hardware: Neo Geo MVS
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-2 players (versus)
Controls: 8-way joystick + 4 buttons (A/B/C/D), team of 3
Series: The King of Fighters series

⬇ Coming soon

Gameplay Screenshots

About This Game

The King of Fighters '97 closes the original Orochi saga and is arguably the most beloved entry in the series. Teams of three — chosen from a huge roster spanning Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Psycho Soldier and original cast members — fight through single rounds under either the Advanced (power-gauge and running) or Extra (dodge and charge) system.

The Orochi storyline ends here with the New Face Team, the awakened Orochi versions of Iori and Leona, and a three-form final boss. Its speed, its freedom of team composition and its forgiving chain-combo feel made '97 the definitive KOF for a generation of players, and it remains a staple of Asian arcades to this day.

Three-character team battles with free team composition
Two fighting systems: Advanced (gauge/running) and Extra (dodge/charge)
The Orochi saga finale with awakened character variants
Huge crossover roster spanning SNK's entire fighting catalogue

Version History

The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320)1997-07
The MVS original; this page's screenshots come from it.
KOF '97 Global Match2018
Official re-release with online play on modern platforms.

Cheats & Secrets

Service menu (F2 in MAME)Free Play, difficulty, round time and other cabinet settings

The Neo Geo MVS BIOS carries operator settings — Free Play is configurable on your own setup.

Tips & Strategy

Pick Advanced for the run game

Advanced mode's running and roll-dodges let you close distance and punish fireball-heavy players. Extra mode rewards patience, but most opponents are not ready to deal with a player who simply runs them down.

Order your team by role

Your first character should be your most expendable, best matchup player; keep your strongest for the anchor slot. Winning two of three rounds matters more than flashy play with the anchor.

Punish whiffed specials with a jump-in

KOF's large special moves recover slowly. A whiffed anti-air or DM is a free jumping attack into a combo — recognizing recovery frames is the single biggest skill jump in this game.

Stock your gauge before the anchor

Advanced mode carries power stocks between team members. Spending your lead character's stocks early is often correct — a full gauge on your best character is worth more than a full gauge on your first pick.

Download Resources

Resource packs for this game are provided through the button below.