Hey everyone. Keits here, Lead Combat Designer on KI Seasons 2 and 3 at Iron Galaxy Studios. I know you are all starving for information about Shadow Jago, so we wanted to take a few minutes to give you an update on how things are going.

You may remember our presentation about Shadow Jago, “Real Boy Edition”, at EVO. We talked about what we’d be doing to upgrade his moveset to make him stand out even more, and we’re very happy with how excited everyone was. Today, we want to talk about a few of the things that have changed during development. Think of it as a bit of a progress report!

To recap from the EVO presentation on how Shadow Jago is different from Jago:

-The Laser Sword special move is no longer available -Wind Kick’s input triggers the Slide special instead, so Wind Kick isn’t available either. -B+HP Neckcutter and F+HK Double Roundhouse have both been replaced with new command normals. B+HK is an overhead kick. F+HK is a pushkick that you can cancel into his dash. -Shadow Jago can double tap attack buttons when performing special moves to spend a chunk of meter to enhance the attack into a “Surge” Special. -Shadow Jago can still throw Endokukens, including in the air! -Shadow Jago can still use his Uppercut special, but it is more vertical now. It doesn’t move forward at all. -QCF+K triggers a new Divekick move from the air or the ground, which also works as a linker. Both versions include a leap forward first, and both auto correct to face the opponent after the leap. -Shadow Jago’s forward and backward dashes are much longer in travel and duration than Jago’s, and he has a brief invulnerability window in the middle where he phases out and can pass through opponents. -Shadow Jago can cancel his dashes into Throw, Uppercut Special (tap any P), or Divekick Special (tap any K).

Wow, that’s a lot! So, what has changed or been added since then?

-Because his dash is such a big commitment compared to Jago’s, and he cannot perform up-close pressure quite as safely, we’ve increased his walk speed over Jago’s by 15%. -Slide is unsafe on block, but the Surge version which teleports behind now causes a launcher and is safe, but still negative, on block. -You can cancel into the B+HK Overhead Kick from any normal attack! -Shadow Jago’s slowest Endokuken is the same speed as Jago’s fastest Endokuken, and his Medium and Heavy versions are even faster. He can also throw another Endokuken while the 1st is still on the screen, making his zoning very different from Jago’s. -Shadow Endokuken throws 5 projectiles quickly instead of one larger projectile. -The Surged version of the Uppercut Special doesn’t deal huge extra damage, but it does set up a juggle! -The Shadow version of the Divekick special can recapture! -Standing LK has changed to a knee attack that also works as a fake out for his F+HK Pushkick command normal. -Crouching HP has changed to stab the sword out farther to cover a different space than his vertical uppercut. We know you wanted more sword. -Shadow Jago’s throw automatically transitions into the Laser Sword animation, giving him a launcher and juggle opportunity. More sword still.

And, because we know you wanted even more sword…

That’s right, Shadow Jago’s uppercuts unleash his deadly blade for cutting action!

We’ll continue to give you updates about Shadow Jago in the coming weeks as he gets ready to launch, but to leave you with something truly new, let’s talk about his Instinct Mode.

Shadow Jago Instinct: Shadow Symbiosis -During Instinct, Shadow Jago gets the same +2 on his frame data that Jago gets. -During Instinct, if Shadow Jago hits his opponent with an Endokuken or Dashes through them, he attaches the Dark Tether! -When the Dark Tetheris attached, all of Shadow Jago’s Shadow and Surge moves cost him half the usual amount… and he drains the remaining half from his opponent’s meter! -If Shadow Jago presses HP+HK while the tether is attached, he will strike a quick pose and build 1 full meter for himself instantly… but his opponent gains 1 full meter instantly as well! -Used in conjunction with his incredible Surge special moves, this Instinct can be extremely deadly. -If you hit Shadow Jago, the tether will break and he will have to reattach it with another Dash through or Endokuken.

We are so excited to show you more! Join the discussion about this post on the forums, and stay tuned to Ultra-Combo.com for more Killer Instinct development news and community information.

Discuss: http://forums.ultra-combo.com/t/shadow-jago-the-real-hollywood-story/1825