AOF3 introduced an entirely new roster (besides Ryo & Robert)!

  
REVIEW:  The third and final installment to the Art of Fighting series introduced an entirely new cast of characters. The only returning characters are the 2 main protagonists of the series, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia. AOF3 highlights all of the elements that defined the Art of Fighting series in the early 90's. One again, the series is given a graphical overhaul, with brand new character sprites, backgrounds, and effects. Upon arrival, AOF3's character sprites were among the largest and most impressive 2D video game sprites to date, showing off uncommonly fluid animation for such large characters.


Following in tradition with the prequels, AOF3's visuals really "make a statement" when compared to many other 2D fighting games. The elaborately designed, hand drawn backgrounds are moody and mesh nicely with the large characters. The background scrolling effect used in the first two games also makes its return and is notably smoother as well. In addition to featuring the largest character sprites, AOF3 also presented some of the smoothest animation ever seen in a fighting game to date.
   

Kasumi represents Ryukau Todou's fighting style from AOF1.

  
Art of Fighting 3's gameplay was also taken to the next level, featuring a brand new combo system and some new mechanics. Like in the prequels, the Spirit Bar limits the use of special moves, as each special will decrease the meter. As each character's "spirit energy" drains, their special moves gradually appear weaker and take off less damage. Spirit energy can be recharged by holding down specific buttons, but recharging leaves players open for attacks.


An Ultimate Knock Out is now possible, occurring when players finish their opponent when 10% or less of their life remains. This allows them to perform a Desperation Move, which results in an Ultimate KO that immediately leads to winning the whole match, not just the single round. AOF3's new combo system is probably the best the series has seen to date, and speeds up the gameplay quite a bit. Overall, AOF3's gameplay is probably the deepest and best of the series.
   

"Give me your lunch money... tubby!"

  
Although most of the moves and animations look excellent, some of the "collision detection" actually doesn't make much sense. For example, Robert's spinning backfist "launches" the opponent straight up into the air. That's a technique that should simply knock down or stagger your opponent, not send them flying 10 feet into the air.  Otherwise, the fluid movements of the characters and the variety of moves they can perform is impressive.
 
 
In my opinion, AOF3's "new generation" roster leaves something to be desired and is slightly disappointing, mainly because many fan-favorite characters are missing in this installment. Furthermore, the newcomers don't really hold a candle of some of SNK's other iconic fighting game characters. As a whole, AOF3's roster doesn't have the excitement or lasting appeal that the original cast did. The character selection screen — cool jazzy OST and all — has a particularly "lonely" vibe about it.   It's kinda depressing. The roster is probably the biggest downside of AOF3... but if you give the new characters a chance, their fighting styles and animations aren't bad.
 
 
In the early 2000s, when I created this website and wrote many SNK fighting game reviews, I never imagined that 30 years later... Capcom and SNK would actually be reviving their classic 90s 2D fighting games and actually adding new characters. I was a big fan of SFA3: MAX; the whole concept of adding new 2D sprite-based characters to an existing tried-and-true game engine that's been around for so long just blows my mind. I never thought the companies would care enough. Now is a different time, and it's a great time to be a fighting game player, still after all these years.
 
 
In June 2026, SNK announced a revival of 1996's Art of Fighting 3 — a defining NeoGeo classic boasting famously large 2D sprites, beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds, and fluid character animations. The Path of the Warrior: Art of Fighting 3 R not only brings rollback netcode and character rebalancing to the table, but two fan-favorite SNK heroines are coming to the game (with all new 2D sprites to boot): Yuri Sakazaki and King. To hype up the upcoming release on Steam and likely modern platforms, the legendary Toshiaki Mori (Shinkiro) created new character illustrations for Yuri and King, in his classic style! The addition of King and Yuri, two very important characters to AOF in particular, really make a big difference considering the size of the roster. We get new 2D character sprites in 2026? What a time to be alive. Thanks SNK. 
 

Page Updated: June 29th, 2026 Developer(s):  SNK Publisher(s): SNK Artwork By:: Shinkiro Platform(s): Arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, PS2, PSN, PS4 Release Date(s): Mar. 12th, 1996          Arcade, Neo Geo May 11th, 2006             PS2 - in Art of Fighting: Anthology May 15th, 2007             PS2 - in Art of Fighting: Anthology Sept. 4th, 2017             PS4 - in Art of Fighting: Anthology Q2-Q3 2026               Steam - Art of Fighting 3 R Characters:  Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Rody Birts, Kasumi, Wang, Lenny Creston, Karman Cole, Jin Fu-ha, Sinclair, Wyler, Yuri Sakazaki (AOF3R), King (AOF3R) News Links:  June 2026: SNK Announces Revamped AOF3R with 2 New Characters Featured Video: Related Games: Art of Fighting, Art of Fighting 2 , The King of Fighters '96, Samurai Shodown 4, Kizuna Encounter, World Heroes Perfect, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter Alpha 2, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Martial Masters    Gameplay Engine  7.0 / 10 Story / Theme  7.5 / 10 Overall Graphics  8.5 / 10 Animation  9.0 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  8.5 / 10 Innovation  7.5 / 10 Art Direction  8.0 / 10 Customization  4.0 / 10 Options / Extras  5.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  8.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun  6.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  6.0 / 10 Characters  5.5 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 7.8 / 10  Review based on Arcade version    Final Words: More heart seems to have went into AOF3's quality animation & graphics, rather than character designs this time around. Personally, I'd rather go back to AOF or AOF2 for the character roster(s) and nostalgia alone. AOF3's roster really doesn't define what the series is all about, and feels pretty barren at times.  AOF's trademark "sluggish" feeling of the gameplay is still evident in AOF3, but there are some cool aspects to enjoy. While not the all-around best of the series, AOF3 definitely isn't a game you should miss. In 1996, it really was a "groundbreaking" 2D fighting game, visually at least. No doubt, Art of Fighting was a respectable fighting game series by SNK, and it went out with a bang. The Art of Fighting series might be dead, but thankfully, many of the classic characters have crossed over to many other fighting games over the years. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen       Click here for all Official Artwork! Click here for all Character Bios! Click here for all Concept Artwork! Click here for all Animated Stages! Click here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES