After the banger that XIV was, I'm kind of let down with this one a little since it feels like they took one step forward but a couple of steps back

First of all, the roster. What the hell, only 2 newcomers? Seriously? Why is the slogan "Shatter all expectations" when the entire roaster is probably one of the most predicable in the series? Ok, K9999 coming back is unexpected, I'll give them that. That's it. The DLC characters are fan favorites, so no surprises (so far)

Second, the gameplay. I didn't have any issues with how XIV played, so most of these changes are okay but not really necessary imo, but you gotta differentiate the entry somehow. Shatter Strike is fine, that's really it.
It's still a KOF game, so it's fun as heck. EX moves outside of MAX mode gives the game an easier way to combo, making it also more fun to just making up links and routes on the go. MAX mode itself it's easier too (maybe EX moves have become way too common, but that's nothing a future patch can't tweak)

My only actual negative critique with the game is the online modes. Rollback is a nice addition, sure, but not only is kind of hard to get an stable match (between friends from my country I still get random rollback spikes for no reason) but also the actual lobby system in this game is a big downgrade from 14. No simultaneous matches? No free typing in chat? No small groups divided in the type of match that you want to play? And you have to close the lobby if you want to edit anything major... Why?
Also, the matchmaking is still broken. And crossplay is coming to the game, so if they don't fix that, it's gonna be a bigger problem.

You can tell this game was affected by the global pandemic and it shows. Otherwise it's a pretty solid fighting game, tho they played it way too safe for my liking. I'm interested in seeing it evolving however.

This game means a lot to me.
It has one of my favorite casts in the series, great music and a great plot, but I'm gonna be honest with you, there's a limit to my patience in how many times I can replay the first 5 chapters of a story.

Ironically enough, the "Three Houses = Three routes" part of the game is the worst part. If you only play one route, you arguably have a better experience than playing all three.

A shame because, like I said, I really like most of the characters here, but I also hope they never do branching stories again.

But, at the same time, I really need to commend this game for still being discussed 4 years later. It shows how deep and morally grey its narrative truly is.