Game Classification

Seven infamous monsters from Frankenstein to the Minotaur go head to head in this early PlayStation fighting game.

These initial seven monsters are all there is; there are no hidden characters to unlock or a final boss to beat.

Most of the characters are slow and un-manoeuvrable. This may be by design to represent the weight of the monsters; most of them are big and their fighting styles could be considered anything but skill based. For instance the Skeleton can jump on the opponent and stab them in the neck repeatedly with its sword while the Minotaur gores them with its horns. It must be said that the attacks in the game generally fit their respective monster.

There are only two game modes available with the main one being the standard "Normal Mode" where one player goes up against the six other monsters and finally a mirror match. A second player can join in at any point (in fact it's the only way a second player can play as there is no Vs mode). If one completes this mode they are presented with a breakdown of their performance in each fight, though no ending in the real sense, as the game has no story at tall to explain why these monsters are fighting each other.

The second game mode is an innovative mode the game calls "Auto Mode" and devotes most of its manual to. In this mode the player functions as a side line trainer to train and guide an AI controlled monster (selectable from one of the same seven as the Normal Mode) through several tournaments. This is done by pressing various buttons on the controller to tell your monster to try to perform certain offensive or defensive plays.

The monster you are training start's of with little more than the ability to throw a punch and is slow to respond to your prompts, but will gain additional attacks and respond quicker and more intelligently to your prompts the more it fights, until it ultimately gains the full range of attacks it would have in the Normal Mode.

However the full potential of this mode is undermined by the games lack of any save feature. [source:mobygames]

Distribution : Retail - Commercial
Platform(s) : Playstation (PSX)

Links

• http://www.mobygames.com/game/killing-zone/