Fatal
Fury: City of the Wolves ABOUT:
Fatal Fury:
City of the Wolves, titled Garou Densetsu: City of the Wolves
in Japan, is "Legend of is an upcoming sequel to Garou:
Mark of the Wolves planned for release in Early 2025. First
revealed back at EVO 2022, this traditional 2D fighting game using 3D
graphics will be the first new entry in the Fatal
Fury series in over 23 years, with the most recent installment released
in 1999. It is the ninth title in the series and the seventh canonical
installment.
Fatal
Fury: COTW character select screen (launch).
Director Yasuyuki Oda mentioned early
on that Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will have more of an emphasis on story than
other recent SNK 2.5D fighting games such as
The
King of Fighters XV.
City of the Wolves features a new mode called Episodes of South
Town (EOST) — the single-player RPG mode where players embark on a
thrilling journey through the iconic city of South Town, where they engage in
battles against various contenders under diverse fight conditions. This mode
allows players to earn experience points (XP) and other rewards as they level up
their fighters and develop a unique set of skills tailored to their play style.
The narrative is rich with ambition and dreams, as players strive to carve out
their own legend amidst the tumultuous backdrop of South Town’s fighting
scene. As they progress, they uncover deeper connections between characters,
revealing emotional ties and rivalries that enhance the overall storytelling
experience within this immersive RPG framework.
The director mentioned that Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves' visual style
and overlays are
inspired by American comic books like Marvel Comics.
The
Garou gang is making a comeback.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves features two control schemes: Arcade Style (based on
precise, technical inputs) and Smart Style (flashy specials/combos using
directional inputs and single button presses). Similarly to other modern
fighting games, Fatal Fury: COTW will also offer an "Easy
Controls" option.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves introduces the
"REV
System". First up, REV
Arts function like EX Special Moves. REV
Accel offers Special-to-Special Move Cancels, comparable to
Hyperdrive Mode from The King
of Fighters XIII. REV Blow and REV Guard also offer unique
attack and defense options. In
addition to the REV System, City of the Wolves' gameplay is
defined by an impressive number of other mechanics. The S.P.G.
(Selective Potential Gear) meter selection (similar to Garou: Mark of
the Wolves' Tactical Offense Position /
T.O.P. system), Overheating, Just Defense, Hyper
Defense, Braking, Combinations, Feinting, Wild
Punish, Dodge Attacks, Ignition Gear, Redline Gear, and
Hidden Gear.
Old
school Fatal Fury icons are back and hotter than ever.
Newcomers such as Preecha, is the "star pupil" of Joe Higashi. Preecha is
a scientist investigating the wonders and miracles of a fascinating principle
known as ki (spirit energy). While her martial arts talent can't be denied,
that's not to say she's only in it to win it either; indeed, Preecha fights for
academic purposes, not accolades. She hates the pain, but sure is willing to
endure it—as long as it furthers her research into unique and perplexing fight
styles. The other newcomer is "Vox Reaper", a successor to Garou
Mark of the Wolves' badass sub-boss, Grant.
Geese
Tower! Nice looking effects, snk.
Fatal Fury: City of the
Wolves releases on April 24th, 2024 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series
X|S, Steam, and EGS. AnOpen Beta Test took place February 20 (12:00 am PT) through
February 24 (11:59 pm PST) which will give fans on PlayStation 5,
PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Steam a chance to play Fatal Fury: City of
the Wolves early with 8 playable characters. A special promotional
animation by Masami Obari was also created for Fatal Fury: City of the
Wolves. A physical Deluxe
Edition was also announced.
Returning
MOTW stages from a different perspective.
Garou:
Mark of the Wolves was one of my all-time favorite SNK fighting games
in the early 2000s (and still is). One thing's for
sure—City of the Wolves has big shoes to fill. The fluidity of MOTW's timeless 2D
character sprites and hard-drawn backgrounds are tough to live up to... but City
of the Wolves captures the aura of the prequel, and is arguably the
best and most playable Fatal Fury game to date! SNK actually did it!
SNK's aggressive (and slightly bizarre) marketing for Fatal Fury: City of the
Wolves was on another level. The center of the ring at Wrestlemania 41 with
Ganacci himself opening the show? That was not on my 2025 bingo card. Congrats
SNK. We've come a very long way. I haven't seen a modern fighting game being
promoted this well in a very long time. The "celebrity guest inserts"
are weird, questionable, not for everyone, and definitely not the future I'd like to see for fighting
games... but I have to give SNK and the marketing team props for the bold moves. They got people
talking and noticing the game, that's for sure!
I was happy and (not)surprised to see Fatal Fury / Garou finally
return
as a standalone game, following SNK's most recent 2.5D fighters like Samurai
Shodown, SNK Heroines,
and of course KOF14 and KOF15.
Fatal Fury is an iconic arcade-born fighting game franchise that deserves a
comeback all out on its own, for sure!
Early on... I overheard some SNK fans calling this game "KOF with less
characters". That could've been the case, but thanks to the move to 3D
graphics, SNK can fit a ton of characters in this game. COTW's mechanics make it feel different
enough to distinguish it from KOF XV. Furthermore, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
is more visually and mechanically appealing over KOF XV in my opinion.
The new animations retain the charm of the originals in MOTW, and I have
to say I'm impressed. Overall, new characters' attacks, combos, and super moves
are entertaining to watch—while
still having some obvious jank.
I was worried about character movement speed during the first beta, but
thankfully they tuned the speed, combos, and made characters more fun to play. Thankfully, characters' special moves themselves have maneuverability options and
help keep things moving and feeling snappy.
The absurd (and impressive) quantity of system mechanics are immediately intriguing
to a seasoned gray-haired fighting game player such as myself... but I could also see
how this game's mechanics could easily be confusing, intimidating, and ultimately frustrating for
new / casual type fighting game players. That said, the Open Beta's Tutorial mode was a bit
last-gen-feeling and clunky... honestly not one of
the better modern fighting game tutorial modes I've played. (Countdown timers
are a terrible way to practice parrying, for one.)
The REV System gives players nice options to play characters differently.
The S.P.G. system is nostalgic and is a defining mechanic (similar to T.O.P. from
MOTW)... which I enjoyed. Just Defense and Hyper Defense are great, since
I love parrying in fighting games. The weird animations (at
times) makes parrying slightly less enjoyable than in other fighting games, but it's not
bad. At the least, Just Defense might end up being one of my favorite
mechanics carrying over from MOTW. Dodge Attacks are an
innovative new mechanic that have "cool moment" potential (and the
animations are nice)! Other than that, I'm
mostly disappointed with the game's slow-ish speed... until combos start up.
The new auto-combo system is an attractive "easy mode" mechanic
catered to the casual types...
but it's actually a decent and cool-looking system that provides enjoyable camera angles upon
the final hit. With mix-up options, it even adds some complexity and excitement
to the traditional 2D engine. The
good news is: The classic Garou: MOTW engine feels "alive" in
this game, with old
school combos still existing (and tons of new combo potential). The characters themselves and the combo system
feel decent,
both having the potential to carry
this game.
Aesthetically, COTW presents a colorful, cel-shaded graphics style with a
"cartoon" shine that resembles the
colorful 90s sprites and games. The American comics theme is quirky and
the graphical filters are neat. Some characters look unintentionally younger than their Garou: MOTW counterparts...
as some models are a little goofy and out of proportion.
The game nearly has a "chibi" vibe—with some characters appearing a
bit chunky (similar to SamSho 2019). However, quite a few
character models look really great!
The hit sparks are pleasing to the eyes, unlike some other "over-the-top" effects we see in
other modern
fighting games. The stage designs are great, colorful, and have lots of detail.
Besides the background animations running at 30fps... I'd say City of the
Wolves has very solid and enjoyable visuals.
At first glance, I didn't love Fatal Fury: COTW's
graphics. Unexpectedly, the more I played (and enjoyed learning combos)—the more I
ended up enjoying the visuals. My
favorite aspects are the smoothly-animated hit sparks—oozing with NeoGeo-era
nostalgia—and the intense close-ups on epic characters' poses during super
moves. (Gameplay-wise, I also enjoy characters' variations of super and special
moves!) The variety of
flashy hit sparks, camera zoom on KO, and cinematic close-ups during super moves
look very impressive in 4K60.
Probably SNK's best 2.5D hit sparks and special move effects to date! The throwbacks
to classic MOTW art during win poses is also a nice touch. Weak parts of
the visuals? Some animations, especially damage and falling animations, need
more "oomph" ouch factor.
I happen to be an old school Terry main in MOTW. I was
playing MOTW online against the best on Mame / Kaillera
in the early 2000s! That said, the new engine "feels" like my beloved MOTW with plenty of classic combos,
set-ups, cancels, feints, and returning movesets still intact. Classic spacing,
anti-air and fireball games still apply. The returning cast plays like they should, with classic match-ups,
projectile wars, and spacing tech that all feels like the old time (as Kuroko would say).
However, the new air-projectiles and new juggle opportunities give COTW its own
distinguished feel. The moveset updates are very significant, the REV system
adding addicting excitement with plenty of combo / canceling potential. The canceling in this game
is crazy and provides creative opportunities and fun for players who
love to style-on their opponents
with long combos! The return of 2-line / 2-lane battles was an unexpected
but very nice surprise, adding a new yet nostalgic way to play the game. Great
job, SNK!
Similarly to Garou: Mark of the Wolves, during its quiet and
under-appreciated heyday, City of the Wolves
is definitely the most "Street Fighter-feeling game" SNK has ever created.
Ironically, also one of SNK's best and most playable 2D fighting games ever.
Early on, I didn't think SNK could put out a quality title that would be
"on par" with SF6,
Guilty Gear -STRIVE, MK1, TEKKEN 8... but SNK has a
contender for "Fighting Game of the Year 2025" on their hands.
Considering SNK's humble beginnings and struggles over the past couple decades, City
of the Wolves' marketing and the excitement around it is an achievement
alone.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a colorful, charming, and fun 2D
fighting game that turned out better than I expected. I was a bit underwhelmed by KOF 15 (and KOF 14 to
some extent), but City of the Wolves is more my jam when it comes to a
playable and fun 2D
fighting game these days. Color Edit with great features previously only seen in
SoulCalibur games? An awesome addition. SNK actually put tons of fan service and
care into the full package. The animated intro by Obari is a nice touch, too.
The nostalgia rating is off-the-charts! My full review is currently in
progress... please stay tuned. If you couldn't tell, I will likely be giving this game a
favorable rating!
~TFG WEBMASTER | @Fighters_Gen
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The hit sparks are pleasing to the eyes, unlike some other "over-the-top" effects we see in
other modern
fighting games. The stage designs are great, colorful, and have lots of detail.
Besides the background animations running at 30fps... I'd say City of the
Wolves has very solid and enjoyable visuals.
Probably SNK's best 2.5D hit sparks and special move effects to date! The throwbacks
to classic MOTW art during win poses is also a nice touch. Weak parts of
the visuals? Some animations, especially damage and falling animations, need
more "oomph" ouch factor.
