This morning has seen a flurry of information released for Killer Instinct’s upcoming second season character Riptor, and for good reason. As a returning fighter from previous installments, she represents both the history of the popular franchise as well as how it has moved forward on Xbox One.
In addition to the announcement trailer, a few more details were released courtesy of an interview GameSpot held with key Microsoft Studios employees as well as a live broadcast the developers (still going strong here), both of which provided a clearer look at Riptor’s fighting style that may not have been expressed as well in the short reveal.
One of the main points the developer seem to want folks to know about Riptor is that much of her moveset from older titles has been carried to the reboot, including attacks like her tail flip, fire breath, and jumping rake–but that doesn’t mean she still hasn’t seen some modification. “Arguably, she’s easier to play,” creative director Adam Isgreen mentioned during his interview with GameSpot. “That was a big goal of ours, to make sure that she’s intuitive, that you can get into it and get a lot done without needing a lot of technical skills.
“She can literally go heavy punch, heavy punch, heavy punch, and then go with an ender and get a combo out of it.”
While the aforementioned interview focused a lot more on the story details that allow Riptor to return to the Killer Instinct universe, this afternoon’s live stream gave a much closer look at the raptor’s extensive movelist.
This time around, Riptor has two dedicated buttons for certain attacks–heavy punches will always involve fire and heavy kicks will always incorporate her tail. Furthermore, all of her attacks can be canceled into another move which, paired with the expanded toolset she’s given during forward run, backward run, her unique Predator stance, and more, provides the cybernetic weapon a ton of versatility no matter the situation.
We’ve included an archive of Microsoft’s stream below, so be sure to check that out for more information on how Riptor will play when she joins the cast on December 17.
Watch live video from KillerInstinct on Twitch
Sources: GameSpot, Microsoft Studios