Play King of Fighters, The - Heat of Battle (Europe) Online

Throwing tiny fireballs with Kyo between bus stops, trying to time Iori's combos just right—somehow this Game Boy port still nails that KoF rush despite the cramped screen.

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Game Overview

If you've ever wanted to throw fireballs on the bus, The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle is your Game Boy's best shot at arcade-style brawling. Yeah, the sprites are about the size of ants, but somehow Kyo's flame uppercut still feels satisfying when it connects. I spent way too many school trips trying to nail Iori's combos—the inputs are simplified from the arcade version, but there's still enough depth here to make victories feel earned.

What surprised me was how well the game captures that KoF energy despite the hardware limits. Terry's Power Wave actually looks like a wave, and when you pull off a Desperation Move, the screen flashes like you just won the lottery. It's definitely not as fluid as the Neo Geo games, but for a Game Boy fighter? Way better than it had any right to be. Just don't expect to read the tiny victory text without squinting.

Perfect for quick matches when you're stuck somewhere boring. Just keep spare AAs handy—this one eats batteries like Terry Bogard eats sandwiches.