Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
  

  
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. 
 

  
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. 
 

  
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.
 

 
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves releases on April 24th, 2024 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4,  Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and EGS. The Open Beta Test is scheduled for 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.
 

Page Updated: February 21st, 2025 Developer(s): SNK Publisher(s): SNK Designer(s): Yasuyuki Oda     Director Artwork by: TONKO Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam, EGS Release Date(s): April 24th, 2025 Characters:  Rock Howard, Terry Bogard, Preecha, Hotaru Futaba, Tizoc, Marco Rodrigues, Bonne Jenet, Vox Reaper, Kevin Rian, Billy Kane, Mai Shiranui, Ken Masters, Chun-Li, Kim Dong Hwan, Gato, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Mr. Big, Kain R. Heinlein News Links:  Feb. 2025: Kain R. Heinlein Official Bio, Render, Open Beta Screens Jan. 2025: Open Beta Test, Promo Animation By Masami Obari Announced Featured Video: Related Games: Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The King of Fighters XV, The King of Fighters XIV, Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: 1st Contact, Under Night In-Birth II, Pocket Bravery, Blazing Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, TEKKEN 8, Street Fighter 6    Gameplay Engine   Story / Theme   Overall Graphics   Animation   Music / Sound Effects   Innovation   Art Direction   Customization   Options / Extras   Intro / Presentation   Replayability / Fun   "Ouch" Factor   Characters   BOTTOM LINE          First Impression: Garou: Mark of the Wolves has been one of my all-time favorite SNK fighting games since the very early 2000s. The 2D masterpiece being brought into the modern age with SNK's 3D graphics engine leaves somewhat of a bittersweet taste... since I know deep down SNK's 3D visuals and animations will never eeeeeever live up to brilliance of MOTW's timeless 2D sprites. Those days are over. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. One thing's for sure; Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has big shoes to fill. I was happy and (not)surprised to see Fatal Fury / Garou return as a standalone game. An iconic franchise, for sure. I've heard some SNK fans calling this game "KOF with less characters" early on. They're not wrong either... hopefully SNK will put more effort into the characters, visuals, and mechanics thanks to the smaller character roster. That's what should happen, anyway. It's worth pointing out that we should not only expect the return of MOTW's full cast (and potentially some of the canceled MOTW2 characters), but the return of many classic Fatal Fury series veterans. That said, the roster might end up being larger than some are expecting. That's the good news. I think Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is slightly more visually and mechanically compelling than KOF XV... but still has a similar vibe and certainly isn't without imperfections. Honestly, the game feels a bit "slow" and sluggish after playing the Open Beta. SNK has time to tighten things up, but the animation quality and gameplay speed is below what I was expecting. Can they make the walking speed slower? Because it's not slow enough. Is this SamSho or Garou? The absurd quantity of system mechanics are compelling to a seasoned fighting game player like myself, but I could also see how they might be confusing, intimidating, and ultimately frustrating for newer or casual fighting game players. The Open Beta's Tutorial mode was clunky... and honestly not one of the better modern fighting game tutorial modes I've played. (I hate countdown timers. That's not the best way to train at all.) The REV System gives players some 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 always always always love parrying in fighting games. However, COTW's weird / almost-poor animation quality makes parrying more difficult and riskier. Seriously. Dodge Attacks are an innovative new mechanic that seem to have potential (and are cool animations, at least). Other than that, I'm disappointed with the game's slow speed... until combos start up. Ultra damaging, super fast juggles into the corner? It looks and feels like KOF XV all over again. In any case, the characters themselves and the combo system feel decent, both having the potential to carry this game. Maybe? I used to play SNK fighting games much more often in decades past, back when 2D sprites were the best thing around. In the modern era... I'm spoiled playing Steam games in 4K like Street Fighter 6 and TEKKEN 8—both games I'm still playing daily by the way—and both are mechanically superior and far more fun to play than anything SNK has put out in quite some time. I don't expect all fighting game publishers to fly close to the high quality of Capcom and Namco games, but what will make me want to play FF:COTW? Similarly to Garou: MOTW... City of the Wolves is the most Street Fighter-feeling game SNK has ever made. No, it's (sadly) not anywhere near the polish of SF6, but hopefully will end up being something special. A special... Fatal Fury. Imagine that! ~TFG WEBMASTER | @Fighters_Gen     Click Here for all Character Bios / Artwork! Click Here for all Concept Artwork! Click Here for all Promo Art / Logo / etc. Click Here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES