Month: May 2015

ARIA’s booster drone body

While there wasn’t a stream this week, the developers behind Killer Instinct did the next best thing by providing yet another stream of textual information on the Ultra-Combo forums. But never fear, this isn’t just any smattering of details; Microsoft Studios creative Adam Isgreen has provided us our very first look at the upcoming fighter ARIA as well as a brief glimpse at her gameplay.

ARIA had her beginnings as an artificial intelligence designed to improve life on earth, something of a pet project for UltraTech founder Ryat Adams, whose wife was suffering from a degenerative disease that would eventually take her life. As more and more enhancements were made to ARIA’s programming, she expanded beyond her original purpose and currently serves as the CEO of the villainous corporation.

Where other fighters have stances they can switch between, ARIA’s physical form is comprised of three separate drones that she can switch between at will. These drones provide the artificial intelligence with a unique body, each with its own capabilities. ARIA’s booster body, pictured to the right, is built for speed and maneuverability, while the blade and bass drones equip her with a sword arm and chest cannon, respectively.

ARIA can shift between these bodies with a single button press or with her special Upload Enders, which function as her combo trait. She can even switch before the fight begins or between rounds.

As you would guess, a player’s strategies will shift depending on which drone body ARIA is employing. Furthermore, the drones not currently in use will double as assist-type attacks. Much like similar attacks in other titles, however, each drone will have its own lifebar that can be drained by careless assist calls. Each drone has very low health when compared to other members of the cast, but opponents will need to destroy all three in order to put ARIA down for good, essentially giving her three lifebars to work with.

There’s quite a bit to take in here apart from the brief synopsis we’ve provided above, so be sure to visit Isgreen’s original post for even more details on ARIA’s gameplay. She will be accompanied by a brief round of balance changes upon release, so stay tuned for more news on that front in the near future.

Source: Ultra-Combo