Last week, Microsoft Studios Global Publishing Creative Director Adam Isgreen created quite the stir when he posed the question: what 10 characters would you like to see return in the next Killer Instinct?
The fighting game community was abuzz. Eager Jago players were quickly singing his praises, while more distinguished Sabrewulf aficionados had their own points. Even both of Kim Wu’s fans were preparing their case. As it turned out, this was merely a theoretical query, but still one worth exploring: if you could only select ten Killer Instinct fighters, who would you choose? We’ve taken a crack at it ourselves, carefully surveying our options and resisting the urge to simply say ‘as long as you keep Spinal’ and call it a day. Be warned, we will be brutal. We’re feeling a killer instinct of our own.
Spinal
Well, we’ve already established that he’s making an appearance on this list, so there’s no need for subterfuge here. Spinal is the fighting game embodiment of all of those stop-motion movies that gave you nightmares as a child and has established himself as a staple of the franchise. The backbone, if you will.
Spinal’s backstory is colorful in all iterations and particularly grim in the latest reboot. It involves being trapped as an unwilling slave in his own body, ultimately forced to set himself alight for the amusement of his tormentors – a far cry from his bizarre ending in KI1, where he literally grows bored with fighting and becomes a movie star. No matter which lore you prefer, maintaining Spinal on the roster is a must.