Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Review – Reclaiming the Throne

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Review

A pillar of the fighting world, Fatal Fury is a landmark title in the genre, influencing countless games that followed in its footsteps. After a 26-year hiatus, the iconic fighter is back to take its place as the leader of the pack. Revving up the mechanics with an evolved battle system and delivering a fresh visual overhaul, will SNK’s return to the franchise live up to its legendary name or fall short in a world it once helped define?

Entering the arena feels both fresh and familiar. Iconic characters return with a couple of new faces and celebrity guests to pack out a diverse roster. Each fighter is distinct, with a unique look and fighting style that showcases their personality in battles. From Rock Howard’s biker-infused angst to the Muay Thai scientist, Preecha, every competitor is brimming with character. While movesets differ, foundational elements permeate the experience, adding a layer of accessibility that helps you get to grips with each character relatively quickly.

REV It Up

The REV system is central to fights, giving you numerous offensive and defensive options. For example, you can unleash a REV Blow, which leaps through enemy strikes to deliver a hard-hitting attack. This is an excellent tool to set up combinations and link into other techniques. One in particular is the REV Arts, which is an enhanced version of your special. This can also lead to a REV Accel, which is a larger combo that encompasses a special. Uniting these skills can help to deliver serious damage and swing the fight in your favor.

The REV system also includes defensive maneuvers to support you when you get overwhelmed. In addition to Just Defense and Hyper Defense, which require perfect timing but reward you with a small recovery of health, you can also perform the REV Guard. This powerful defensive option negates chip damage and creates space between you and your opponent.

Activating any form of REV manoeuvre will fill up your meter and can overheat if you continue to overuse these abilities. In this state, REV options become inactive until you recover. To speed up this process, you will need to land successful strikes and be on the offense. This adds an exciting layer of strategy to fights, as you’ll need to actively manage your meter while competing.

In Pole Position

The Selective Potential Gear (S.P.G.) complements the REV system, allowing you to perform certain special maneuvers. This activates when your health is at a particular point and prior to the fight, you can decide when you want this to occur. For example, if you like to start off strong by applying the pressure immediately, you can have this at the beginning third of your health bar; however, if you’d prefer the boost when fighting for your life, you can select the bottom third. It’s a fantastic system that can instantly flip fights, adding tension when players move into this state.

Your special bar lives underneath the REV Meter and allows you to deliver a cinematic attack. While these look slick and stylish, they pale in comparison to The Hidden Gear. This is an ultra move that will inflict a massive amount of damage and has specific requirements for you to initiate. To do so, you must have the special bars full and be in the S.P.G. state before you can even attempt to connect with it. Factoring this into your game plan is important and can influence where you place your S.P.G. and how you respond against an opponent who meets the criteria.

Learning the Ropes

Although the number systems combined with combo breaks, feints and much more may sound overwhelming, trust me, it isn’t. SNK includes a great tutorial that shows the button inputs and timing so that you can learn the mechanics. In addition to this, each fighter has bespoke missions to learn their combos so that you can master your favorite character. With survival and time attack modes, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves features a variety of options to make it inclusive. The biggest signpost of this is the new control system. Similar to Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8, the game includes a simplified method that makes certain abilities easier to perform. In order to maintain balance, advanced moves are restricted, which means newcomers can be competitive without it feeling unfair.

Currently only available on one stage, the game also experiments with multi-lane fights. This means that you can jump into a different plan and attack from there. In addition, you can also knock your opponent from one to the other, which adds a novel concept to fights. While I’m not completely sold on the idea, it’s great to see the Japanese legends experimenting and pushing the genre in exciting new directions.

Get to the Fight

A staple in fighting games is the Arcade Mode. Here, you take on several characters from the roster and receive a small cut scene at the beginning and end, which gives context about your chosen player. Episodes of South Town is a new mode for the series that requires you to level up your character as you progress through a loose narrative. On the map, you’ll see fights dotted around all linked to a level requirement. You can challenge yourself and fight those above you or just work your way through until you reach the top. There’s some variety with certain fights requiring you to beat different characters each round, however, it’s not the most creative single-player campaign and feels a bit repetitive.

For the game to thrive, it needs a strong online offer and honestly, I couldn’t ask for more. While it strays away from the hub feature that other titles have implemented, Fatal Fury focuses on functionality. With cross-platform play, a rollback netcode, and Casual, Ranked and Room Match modes, you can quickly get to the fight. Rooms can be set up with a number stations, spectator options and training areas so that players can always participate. Rules can also be added to add variety to matches or to add group features like best out of three and winner stays on.

Using AI technology, the game introduces Clone Mode. Using your in-game data, a portrait of your skill and style is captured so that people around the world can take on an AI version of others. Although not necessarily a feature for everyone, it’s a great way to improve your skills before going online against others.

Getting Your Gear

Outside of gameplay, there is also a surprisingly in-depth Color Edit option so that you can alter the appearance of the roster, a Jukebox Mode to listen to modern and classic tunes from the series and a gallery.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is arguably the best-looking fighting game ever created. The pixel art is stunning, with fluid animation that brings each character to life. Trying to match those aesthetics was always going to be a battle, but the direction that SNK has gone with the game perfectly captures the essence of the original. The cel-shaded design enhances the comic book-style presentation. Each player and background is alive with colour, creating a distinct style that feels both modern and nostalgic. Whether it’s the particle effects that accompany strikes or the light bouncing off surfaces, every visual choice serves to honor Mark of the Wolves while confidently stepping into a new era.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was worth the wait. Every mechanic is meticulously crafted, resulting in a deep, multilayered fighter. The systems in place encourage strategic thinking and quick adaptation, making each battle feel like a thoughtful, tactical encounter. While the single-player campaign lacks the imagination that imbues the gameplay, SNK has delivered a game that not only honors the legendary legacy of the franchise but also confidently moves it forward.

*** A PlayStation 5 code provided by the publisher***