Between the release of the previous Fatal Fury and the new City of the Wolves, a whole generation of fans of fighting games has grown up, reached puberty and graduated from college. They may have even started families. Garou: Mark of the Wolves was released for arcades in 1999 (and for Dreamcast for the West in 2001), so the series is now over 25 years old. The series returns with Fatal Fury City of the Wolves, which has been a long time coming.
City of the Wolves was one of the games I played at the SNK World Championship Finals, last weekend. I spoke to director HayatoKonya during that time. Fatal Fury is an arcade staple that has existed since 1991, but it hasn’t yet reached the same level of popularity as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Konya believes that the new game will stand out from the crowd because of its technical combat and modern updates to fans’ favorite systems. Konya also hopes that these features will help to make the game appealing to younger gamers who might only be familiar with Fatal Fury.
City of the Wolves is a striking game thanks to its stylized artwork. The bold and heavy shadows give the title a comic book-like feel, reminiscent of Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Rock Howard, Terry Bogard and Hotaru futaba were the returning fighters in my demo. Preecha was a brand new character that I got to play. Preecha is an eccentric but brilliant scientist. She has bubblegum hair and wears glasses. She’s more concerned with finding explanations as to how rivals are able to perform impossible feats such as shooting energy or fire out of their hands.
Konya says, “She is approaching it from a slightly strange angle.” It’s like a scientist trying to inject a bit of reality in this world full of special movements, telekinesis, and other stuff. She wants to understand why this is possible, what makes it possible and how she can make use of this.
Preecha, a Muay-Thai master is the star student of Joe Higashi. Preecha uses wind-powered kicks to destroy foes. She also throws small cyclones at them as projectiles. She was my favorite character, though I also enjoyed the other characters. I had a blast as Rock, or German-suplexing opponents as the wrestler Tizoc. The new English translation not only makes the roster look cool but also speaks to more people.
City of the Wolves has a new system called REV, which gives players the ability to enhance their offensive abilities. REV Blows is an unstoppable, super-charged attack; REV Arts is a cinematic combination of attacks that are visually stunning; REV Accel can be used to speed up your assault. The REV Meter is constantly depleted by these attacks. It replenishes itself when you make an attack. Filling up the REV meter will send the fighter into a state of overheating, making it impossible to use any REV moves until the meter is empty. This meter has an interesting swing, which kept me from using REV attacks too much. I didn’t want to lose my REV moves and allow the opponent to use their REV assaults. The REV meter isn’t restrictive and doesn’t discourage REV usage because it drains so quickly.
S.P.G. (Selective Potential Gear) bar is an expanded version of the T.O.P. system in Mark of the Wolves. The bar (Selective Potential Gear). This bar can be placed at the beginning of every fight either in the middle or the end of the health gauge. If your HP is within the S.P.G. When your HP falls within the S.P.G. The placement of S.G.P. matters. Do you play aggressively from the start? Put the S.G.B. bar in front of you so that you can start the game at your best. Place it near the end of your match to make a strong last stand. The S.G.B. bar is a great strategy. I enjoy the strategy that comes with S.G.B.
The systems are a great addition to a combat system which already feels extremely finely tuned. Matches against A.I. It was fun to play matches against A.I. My REV meter was a great tool for launching combo attacks. Also, you can use feints to fool your opponent and make them rush in or back off. You can cancel combos that are in progress by braking. Returning mechanics like Just Defend in which you can block for faster recovery at the very last moment, enhances the technical combat of the game.
Smart Style is an option that allows players to control the game in a more streamlined manner. This was designed as a response to the recent trends of fighting games. The option allows you to perform dazzling attacks with a single key and a direction input. Arcade Style is the more advanced control scheme for veterans. It’s great to see Fatal Fury continuing the trend to welcome players at all levels.
City of the Wolves has me very excited, even though I am not a Fatal Fury enthusiast. Konya was not ready to reveal details about other features and modes, but the one-on-one combat is already in good shape. The last few years have been a feast for fighting game enthusiasts, and Fatal fury: City of the Wolves is set to be another tasty offering in 2025.