Monday Music: KoF XIV (Sky Blue & Micha Iya!)
Monday Music is a new series from Checkpoint XP where we’ll introduce and break down some of our favorite video game and gaming adjacent music. Video game jams can range from the 8-bit melodies you can’t get out of your head to some of the most emotional musical pieces of our time. So welcome to Monday Music and we hope you enjoy the sounds.
This week: King of Fighters XIV’s: Sky Blue (Team Mexico) & Micha Iya!
Late last week, the new entry to the fighting game franchise “King of Fighters XV” finally got a trailer released. Fans of the series are excited because the KoF entry seemed to fall just below the “premier” fighting game tier with the likes of Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat 11 and Tekken 7. So with XV just around the corner KoF heads are hoping that it can be a return to form.
Sky Blue (Team Mexico)
But like most fighting games, one of the most vital parts of the experience are the character themes. People praised KoF XIV for getting back to the more classic, “video game-y” sound of early KoF games. Especially after XIII went with a more analog, acoustic sound that many felt was too aggressive for the fighting game series. One such example of this is the Team Mexico theme, “Sky Blue”.
The team is made up of entirely Mexican wrestlers. Angel, Ramon and King of Dinosaurs are some of the most dynamic characters in the game. And in the case of the tiger clad Ramon, who’s almost constantly in motion, the music fits well. Its fast enough but also has a more menacing feel too it. Kinda like mini-bosses have come to town.
Micha Iya! (King’s Theme)
Another great track is a remix of Micha Iya! King’s original theme from 1992’s “Art of Fighting”. This track plays when King fights her boyfriend, Ryo. Its a call back to when they first met in Art of Fighting when Ryo was searching for his kidnapped sister, Yuri. Along the way, Ryo encounters a bouncer at the classiest bar in town. This bouncer was King. Easily one of my personal favorite characters in all SNK fighting games.
The track plays with their relationship in the remixed track. The original Micha Iya was a acid jazz hodgepodge, but there’s traditional Japanese instrumentation in the song as well. This blends the two and musically lets you know that they are a couple.
What makes this whole interaction strange is that Ryo thought King was a man when he first met her. The only way you can find out King is a woman in the 92′ original is to win the final round with a super desperation move. This, literally, blows her top off and you can see a lacy bra underneath the tattered clothing, confirming King is indeed a woman.
The 90’s.
Make sure you check back next week where we’ll talk more jams for Monday Music. If you have a suggestion for a track feel free to let us know about it on Twitter!