K.O.: The Show!

K.O.: The Show! is a fighting game developed by Crash Co. for the Nintendo Switch and Pharo, made as the game's first original IP. The game is based is based on the Super Smash Bros. series and Rivals of Aether, having knockback-based fighting gameplay. As the title implies, the game revolves around fighters participating in a TV show program themed around battling.
==Gameplay==
K.O.: The Show! features similar gameplay to Super Smash Bros. and Rivals of Aether. In contrast to traditional fighting games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, damage is measured by a circular pie chart. As the players get damaged, the pie chart will begin filling with green. Once this is full, further damage will fill the meter with orange. Then, the meter will fill with red. For comparison, a single full pie chart can be comparable to 80% damage in the Super Smash Bros. series. Once a player's damage pie chart fills with red, it indicates that they will begin taking the maximum amount of knockback from attacks. The main objective is to knock players off of the stage and off-screen, into the blast zones. This can be done in a mulititude of ways, from launching a heavy attack to knocking them downward into a blast zone below.
Every character is able to use the same amount of attacks, ranging from ground attacks, aerial attacks, grabs and throws, and special attacks. Furthermore, every character can shield to tank through an onslaught of damage, dodge to avoid small windows of damage altogether, and a slightly more risky counter, which is more difficult to time but can reflect damage back at an opponent, dealing 1.5x damage it would have normally dealt. This, however, leaves them open for attack both before and after using it. As such, it is more of a last resort.
===Moveset Customization===
Players are able to select and customize different special attacks to give players attacks that better suit their playstyle. By default, every character has three different sets of special moves. However, through customization players can make their own set using these attacks.
Furthermore, players can customize the attacks themselves. Utilizing sliders, players can change the knockback, power, speed, and range of an attack, though usually at a cost to using it; for example, giving an attack more power and knockback makes it slower, making an attack faster makes it weaker, and making an attack more ranged makes it slower and deal less knockback. Players can also add status ailments to the attack to allow it to inflict special effects, but these also have their own drawbacks unrelated to the sliders.
===Audience===
The Audience plays a major role in K.O.: The Show!. If a player is KO'ed, the audience will throw helpful items towards them, which can be grabbed and used to their advantage. Audience members may also help by throwing objects such as cans, rocks, chairs, and smoke bombs at opponents, damaging then. In rare cases, audience members can go backstage and cause random events to happen, such as a swarm of enemies or the stage erratically changing, before being shooed out by security.
The Audience can be turned off in the options.
===Reaper===
When a player's damage pie chart is completely filled with red, they are able to enter a state called Reaper. In this form, they begin emitting dark-purple aura and their eyes turn yellow. They run faster in this state, have infinite jump height, and have permanent super armor to tank through attacks. Attacks also deal more damage, allowing them to potentially KO opponents quicker. However, in this state the pie chart begins emptying. Once empty, the player will be KO'ed instantly. As such, it is a high-risk, high-reward attack.
==Game Modes==
===Tournament===
Tournament serves as the game's Arcade mode. In a similar way to the main single-player mode in ARMS, players will battle opponents one-by-one in a random order. On higher difficulties, a mysterious being known as the Virus may take control of the opponent, granting them random buffs such as making them giant or metal. At the end of the mode, the player will need to battle a pixelated version of themselves as a final test. Once that is defeated, the player will be crowned the champion of the tournament.
===Free-for-All===
===Invasion===
===Gauntlet===
==Characters==
===Playable Characters===
Playable Characters	Playable Characters
Character 	Description
Gia 	
Gia Flavamire is a young 22-year-old woman who has always dreamed of becoming a fighter on K.O.: The Show! Using her brains and perseverance, she was able to create the GiaStar, a specialized backpack that powers two blasters on either hand. She uses this in battle in order to compete with the other contenders. Though a newcomer to the tournament, Gia is far from a pushover. Gia serves a similar purpose to Mario in the Super Smash Bros. series and Ryu in the Street Fighter series in that she has a small learning curve, and is the character that new players are encouraged to use. The GiaStar grants her good close-ranged and far-ranged attacks and projectiles at her disposal. She is also quite fast on the ground, and has a decent recovery.
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Passive Ability - Attack Mode: When Gia's taunt button is held for an extended period of time, she can tinker with the GiaStar. The siren on it will change color from red to blue or green depending on which taunt is used. This different color signifies a change in the GiaStar's capabilities, with blue giving her quicker speed and jump height, but at the cost of lower attack power, and green making her stronger and able to tank more damage, but at the expense of being slower. Using this, new players are able to experience with lightweight and heavyweight plasytyles; if they don't see it fit then they are able to change back quite easily.
Brody 	
Brody is a pig of unknown origin. He was discovered in a block of ice underground, and after being thawed in a military lab, he ran outside and took several weapons with him. He was eventually caught and put into captivity, though the researchers figured he would be a good fighter for K.O.: The Show!, as well as a way to advertise their finding. As such, Brody became the suit-wearing, bomb-using pig he is today. He's a quick lightweight that has rather low jump height, but excellent air speed. His weapons range from bombs to rocket launchers, each with a pig aesthetic. As such, he specializes in long-ranged weapons.
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Passive Ability - Stray Bomb: After being hit with a relatively strong attack, Brody will drop a small bomb on the ground as he gets launched, which will explode and damage any fighters in the radius.
Abrina 	
Abrina Lavore is a 19-year-old teenage girl who has a long-lasting love for throwing parties. Before becoming a fighter on K.O.: The Show!, she would be hired to host parties for birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries, and does her very best to make each party memorable. Most of her attacks revolve around party objects such as cake, pie, balloons, and confetti. Because of the ball she balances on for the entirety of the match, she is a rather slow character, but is surprisingly heavyweight to compensate.
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Passive Ability - Ball: The Ball Abrina balances on gives her a number of unique properties. Attacks aimed at it will allow her to absorb most of the knockback received. Furthermore, she can push opponents around by simply bumping into them on her ball.
G.L.O.P. 	
The Germozide-Laciace-Ostylezene Project, better known as G.L.O.P., was the result of a failed project led by a team of scientists at the National Artificial Intelligence Breau to create the first articifical human being. However, a dash of cinnamon was accidentally added to the concoction, resulting in a large, black blob of tar-like substance. Though it seemed to not feel pain, it was living. The breau decided to test this creature in combat, resulting in its presence in K.O.: The Show!. Being a lightweight, G.L.O.P. can be knocked around easily. However, it has a surprisingly powerful arsenal of attacks that can KO opponents quite quickly.
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Passive Ability - Absorb: Instead of a basic grab attack, G.L.O.P. abosrbs its opponent, gradually damaging them. In this state, rather than throwing the opponent, the next directional input will allow it to copy the victim's respective special attack, or if the special button is pressed, their neutral special attack. However, opponents can break free before G.L.O.P. has a chance to absorb them. From here, G.L.O.P. can absorb the opponent again for a new attack or taunt to get rid of it. He can only copy one attack at a time however.
Lucifer 	
Lucifer is an ancient demon who was thrown into the pits of Hell. Seeking a way to escape and exact his revenge, he turns to K.O.: The Show!, becoming a fighter. However, since old age has gotten the better of him, he uses his three tarantula minions; Fangs, Pedipalp, and Goliath, to help him in battle. Fangs is the smallest of the tarantulas, and as such is the fastest but has weak attack power. Pedpalp has wings that grant her use of five midair jumps, making her an aerial specialist, though is the lightest and can be launched easier. Lastly, Goliath is a large heavyweight tarantula; he can deal massive damage with his attacks, and is extremely heavy, which makes him difficult to launch. However, he has low jump height and has difficulty recovering.
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Passive Ability - Tarantulas: Lucifer is unique in that he has all three of his special attack sets accessible at any point in the battle. By holding the a taunt button for an extended period of time, he is able to swap between one of his tarantulas, which have their own movesets. Because of this, he lacks the ability to change moves in his moveset, though the tarantulas' attacks can still be customized. In addition, one of the tarantulas can be swapped out for one that has less damage, though the tarantulas will not recover until a KO. To compensate, the tarantulas are relatively lighter than most of the other characters.
Junkrat & Shimmer 	
Junkrat is an abnormally large rodent that accidentally wandered his way into a nuclear tank. This caused a slight mutation, increasing size and gaining him more intelligence. He later met a dragonfly named Shimmer, who also fell into a tank of nuclear waste, granting her special powers. The two decided to team up as a duo in K.O.: The Show!. The player mainly controls Junkrat while Shimmer flies alongside him. They are the lightest character in the game, and can be KO'ed quite early because of that. To compensate, the majority of his attacks have little knockback, and thanks to his above-average speed and frame data, he is able to combo opponents into various attacks quite easily.
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Passive Ability - Shimmer: Shimmer's powers help Junkrat in battle in that, for most of his attacks, any successful hits towards opponents will heal Junkrat slightly. This significantly helps him survive longer, and thanks to his combos, he can at times fully replenish his health. As such, opponents need to be quick to KO Junkrat.
Madea Mantis 	
Madea Long is a 31-year-old woman who comes from the city of Redsparce. Ever since she was a little girl, she was always interested in the praying mantis, and always wanted to study them. As she became older, she developed her own research lab specifically for studying mantids. However, she became so obsessed with them that she took the DNA of a giant rainforest mantis and mixed it with her own, resulting in becoming a human/mantis hybrid. Later, she would go on to show off her new skills in K.O.: The Show!. Much like those of a praying mantis, Madea Mantis' feet are very quick, making her one of the fastest characters in the game. Her falling speed is also the fastest, and she can attack rather swiftly with her two raptorial hands. She is also armed with other abilities that make her a very versatile fighter, though her recovery capabilities leave much to be desired.
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Passive Ability - Mantis Slide: When in midair, Madea Mantis can use an aerial dodge just as she lands on the ground to slide slightly forward. This allows her to use most of her attacks while moving consistently forward.
Maurice & Chavez 	
Maurice Barnes, at 14 years old, is the youngest (human) fighter in K.O.: The Show!. He's always been an aspiring artist, always wanting to take anything he sees and translate it on paper. One day though he dropped his pencil in a river while on a field trip; this river led to a huge lake filled with acids and bacteria that mixed with this pencil to make it animate. He eventually found Maurice again, who named him Chavez, and the two have been friends since. Using Chavez, Maurice can draw weapons and use them to his advantage, as well as use Chavez himself as a weapon. He's a rather slow lightweight, though he has some pretty good jump height, making for a good recovery. His moveset is also a mix of close- and far-ranged attacks.
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Passive Ability - Drawn Shield: Chavez will draw a shield around Maurice. Compared with other shields in the game, it lasts longer, reflects projectiles, and has higher defense.
Gizo 	
Gizo is an ancient golem-like being, who has connections with beings between dimensions, thanks to tiny drones that resided in each dimension. He once acted as the gateway to these realms for mankind, but the civilization that used him was eradicated, and Gizo was put to eternal rest as a result. Modern researchers eventually found and retooled him, using his otherworldly technology to reopen the portals. Currently, Gizo's abilities are being tested in K.O.: The Show!, where be battles alongside his drones. Being a golem who has access to several different dimensions, Gizo is able to pull objects from different realms and use them against the opponents. Though a slow heavyweight, he does get help from his tiny drones, which allow him to perform such attacks in the first place.
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Passive Ability - Drones: Almost every attack Gizo performs utilizes one or more of his drones. The drones themselves will float around Gizo, and allow him to use his strongest attacks. The drones can be damaged however, and if they take enough damage, they will quickly enter inside Gizo and begin repairing themselves. The more drones that are damaged, the less powerful Gizo's attacks will be. Drone repair lasts 12 seconds, and once this time has passed, the drone will return to Gizo's side.
Leaf & Spot 	
Leaf and Spot come from the island of Mozana, which was recently discovered. They're just two of the island's plant-like humanoid beings. Despite researchers coming into their home, these beings were actually more than happy to help them do research on their kind. In order to further study on the race, as well as personally enjoying the show, Leaf and her daughter Spot become a duo of fighters in K.O.: The Show!. Leaf, the tree woman, will attack with branches, seeds, and leaves, while Spot uses her small wand, which causes fingus-related spells, to empower Leaf. Though not very high in size, they're a mid-heavyweight fighter with good speed and heavy-hitting attacks.
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Passive Ability - Mushroom Magic: For most of the battle, Spot sits on Leaf's branches as she battles. If the taunt button is held, then she will cast a spell on Leaf that makes her stronger and faster for a short time, as if she got the Reaper. However, after while Spot will collapse and rest, and she won't be able to enhance Leaf's attacks for a short time.
Empress Xzal 	
Empress Xzal comes from an alternate universe. Bent on conquest, she warped to this universe in the hopes of taking it over for her people. However, before she begins her reign, she decides to test her abilities in this new world, resulting in her joining K.O.: The Show! She is a heavyweight that is rather fast, and has attacks empowered by dark energy. She has several tricky attacks, such as warping through portals, summoning lightning strikes, using a dark cloud of energy as a jab, and a huge barrier that can protect herself from projectiles. These abilities are difficult to master, though those who manage to get the hang of it can dispatch foes quite easily.
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Passive Ability - Dark Float: Empress Xzal can float in midair for a short time. She can float in any direction, though will fall into a semi-helpless state afterwards. If used off-stage, the float is much shorter.
===Other Characters===
Other Characters	Other Characters
Character 	Description
Rough McFist 	
Rough McFist is the owner of K.O.: The Show!, as well as its announcer. The show has been running strong for a full season, and is more than happy to reprise his role as host again, especially now that he has recruited new fighters! He appears before every match, and will commentate on the battle as the fighters attack each other. Though his unusual appearance may seem weird, he typically ignores it, even if online commenters constantly point it out. He's also good friends with Gia, one of the newcomers for the show, and has helped her accomplish her dream of making the roster.
==Alternate Costumes==
==Stages==
Other Characters	Other Characters
Character 	Description
The Basic 	
The Basic is, as its name suggests, the most basic stage available in K.O.: The Show!. It's often used when newcomers enter the tournament, looking to get a feel for how the game works. It consists of a single solid platform and two platforms on either side; one higher and one lower.
Platform Panic 	
Platform Panic, as its name suggests, has several platforms. They drift in varying directions across the stage, which players can use for their advantage.
Ferris Wheel 	
Ferris Wheel has a group of spinning platforms in the center, which rotate in a circular motion. Though simple, players can use these platforms in conjunction with a variety of attacks and projectiles to get the upper hand.
==Items==
==Trivia==
*The game was inspired by several of games made by Pyro Enterprises that put a focus on characters and their backgrounds, including Heroforce, Iliad Online, and Boundless.
Category:Crash Co.
Category:Original Games
Category:Fighting Games
Category:Pharo Games
Category:Nintendo Switch Games