Killer Instinct's Dojo Mode does more than teach players the moves

Killer Instinct's tutorial system, Dojo Mode, does more than just teach players the attacks and defences of the game's characters — it also teaches players how to play fighting games.

During a hands-on demonstration of the game's Dojo Mode, producer Torin Rettig told Polygon that there are many intricacies and nuances to fighting games that new or casual players may not be aware of. Dojo Mode aims to bring these players up to speed so they can also call upon the tricks and tactics that more advanced players use.

There are 32 tutorials in total, and they range from lessons on how to execute certain moves to explanations of more advanced concepts like frame data and hitboxes. According to Rettig, advanced players tend to perform well not only because they know how to pull off all the character moves, but because they know how to read what's happening on the screen.

In the demo Polygon played, we did the tutorial on hitboxes. The tutorial highlighted parts of the character's body to show where damage was being dealt when an attack was performed. This helped us understand the tactical advantages of using high, medium or low attacks depending on where the opponent was positioned. Similarly, the tutorial on framerates took us through the steps of reading and understanding the number of frames it takes to execute a move. Rettig told Polygon that Dojo Mode gives players the tools to interpret the information they see during a fight, so they not only have a better understanding of what's happening, but also what they're doing.

Killer Instinct is an Xbox One exclusive and will launch for free with the console in North America on Nov. 22.