Killer Instinct for the Xbox One is considered the last true exclusive of Microsoft’s game library. This game has been slept on by far too many people. Partly because the first version of this game was lackluster and dull, and when it got a significant overhaul, it might have been too late to save the brand.

Killer Instinct is one of those games that has everything. It has a unique combo system that makes fighting intense, over thirty fighters, story modes, survivor modes, and lab modes. You could spend a whole year enjoying every layer this game has to offer. Xbox made this game practically free through F2P modes, Game Pass, and discounts.

So why is KI, Rare’s forgotten SNES gem, so forgotten on Xbox One? I think this game came out at the same time Xbox decided that they didn’t want to be known for exclusives. They wanted to be a hardware company that gave fickle gamers a chance to play lots of games for cheap. Therefore, Killer Instinct got lost in the buffet. It will be forever in the shuffle of Microsoft’s legacy.

If you get a chance to play this game…do it!

Also: What can the Xbox’s favorite RPG exclusive tell us about morality and personal choices? https://thecheckpointdevo.blog/2025/02/27/the-checkpoint-fable/