The final DLC character for season 1 of KOF XIV has been revealed and it is one that fans have wanted for a long time. Yes, Rock Howard will make his main series KOF debut.
Rock Howard made his debut in the last chapter of the Fatal Fury series, Garou: Mark Of The Wolves, and this release will mark his first appearance in a mainline KOF title. He is the estranged son of crime lord Geese Howard, having been adopted and raised by Terry Bogard from a young age. His fighting style is a unique mix of both Terry and Geese’s styles and he even boasts his own variations on some of their iconic moves, such as Geese’s Raging Storm and Terry’s Buster Wolf. His Crack Counter, for example, combines the reversal techniques from Geese’s Aikijutsu moves with Terry’s Crack Shoot attack.
This melding of styles results in a well-rounded fighter. He sacrifices both Geese’s dominating power and Terry’s simple and direct style for speed and versatility, creating a unique approach that stands on its own despite borrowing heavily from two disparate fighters.
As you can see in the above trailer, Rock Howard and all of his techniques have been dutifully recreated in KOF XIV with some slight adjustments to fit the new battle system.
The development team aimed to make his transition as faithful as possible, including small details such as how his shirt and jacket animates during his idle animation!
All characters from the DLC will be available on April 5 2017. The BGM and Stage DLC will be free, while the characters will cost money.
Rock looks absolutely amazing and is a very welcome addition to the roster.