In the early days of fighting games, the genre was dominated by Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, but SNK introduced a new fighter that brought something new and innovative at the time, with Fatal Fury in 1991. Despite many claiming it was a copycat of Street Fighter, it was ironically created by Takashi Nishiyama, who also created the original Street Fighter in 1987.

Fatal Fury introduced the lane system to set itself apart from other fighters. It created an almost 3D-like gameplay, allowing players to sidestep and attack from the background or foreground and even dodge attacks. SNK’s original fighting franchise saw various sequels throughout the 90s, with the last being Garou: Mark of the Wolves in 1999.

Since that game, SNK shifted their focus to the King of Fighters, which mixed characters from Fatal Fury with characters from other SNK games, plus some original characters. That seemed to be the end of Fatal Fury and the other SNK games that were merged into King of Fighters. Still, a few characters maintained relevance in other games, including Capcom vs SNK, Dead or Alive, Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, Fall Guys, and various mobile games.

At Evo 2022, a brand new Fatal Fury game was revealed to be in production, and longtime fans rejoiced at the announcement. Finally, after 26 years since the last game, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is asking if you’re ok and Buster Wolfing its way onto PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

A year after the King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament, Rock Howard and Kain R. Heinlein’s investigations have determined the whereabouts of Marie Heinlein, Rock’s mother and Kain’s sister, who was believed deceased. They learn that Mr Big is holding her captive, demanding the legacy of Rock’s deceased father, Geese Howard, as ransom. Rock goes to Geese’s former right hand, Billy Kane, who reveals that the items in Geese’s legacy are the Sacred Scrolls of Jin, magic relics that he had preserved despite Geese ordering they be destroyed before his death. Billy agrees to give Rock the legacy, but an unknown figure steals it. Days later, Franz Stroheim sends an invitation for a new King of Fighters tournament in Second South Town, with the stolen legacy offered as the prize.

The latest Fatal Fury instalment brings back the same gameplay from its predecessor, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, from 1999. This game removed the lane system and used the classic 2D fighting format with a few upgrades. Unlike the King of Fighters series, which has been SNK’s premiere fighting franchise and is known for its 3v3 format, Fatal Fury matches are 1v1 fights, allowing players to focus on a single character and perfect their moves.

The game brings back the T.O.P. system, now renamed S.P.G. (Selective Potential Gear) system and the Just Defense mechanic, which now features an expanded Hyper Defense variation. Players can also perform super combos known as Gear with enough meter built up. Players will need one bar for an Ignition Gear attack and two for a stronger Redline Gear attack. The Hidden Gear is the most powerful and requires both bars while S.P.G. is active.

The Rev System is a new feature that allows players to perform different Rev abilities. These include Rev Arts, which enhances special moves that fighting gamers might know best as EX moves; Rev Blow, which can create distance; Rev Accel, which can chain together moves for bigger combos; and Rev Guard, which pushes opponents away as their attack lands. The game offers a wide variety of strategies for players to decimate their opponents and emerge victorious.

Two control schemes are available with Arcade Style, which are traditional controls like the previous games and Smart Style, a simplified control scheme much like Special Style in Tekken 8 and Modern Controls in Street Fighter 6, though certain abilities will be disabled. Special Style is a good way to bring in new players and get them acquainted, but to get the most out of the game and reach your full potential, Arcade Style is where it’s at and is much more satisfying after pulling off difficult combos.

The game features 17 playable characters including series mainstays Terry Bogard, Mai Shiranui, and Billy Kane as well as Rock Howard, B. Jenet, Gato, Hokutomaru, Hotaru Futaba, Kevin Rian, Kim Dong Hwan, Marco Rodrigues (not Butt), Tizoc, and Kain R. Heinlein who were all introduced and return from the previous game, with a few also appearing in King of Fighters. Brand new to the game are Preecha, a Muay Thai fighter and lover of science trained by Joe Higashi, and Vox Reaper, a street assassin trained by Grant. There is a final boss to discover and a hidden boss if certain conditions are met, and both will be a treat for Fatal Fury and King of Fighters fans.

Two real-life celebrities also join the roster: Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Bosnian-Swedish DJ Salvatore Ganacci. Their inclusions have fans divided, especially since they take the spots of what could’ve been more returning Fatal Fury characters. Since the game’s release, Ronaldo, as famous as he is, doesn’t feel he adds much to the game, even with his interesting move set referencing his soccer moves and iconic “SIUUU” after scoring a goal. All that, plus an allegation from 2009 that’s resurfaced, makes his inclusion feel like a wasted spot.

On the other hand, Salvatore Ganacci, who wasn’t well known before his announcement, has only become more popular with his unusual, bizarre, but intriguing persona. His moveset is just as strange, but entertaining, with plenty of references to his music videos, which have since garnered thousands of new views. It may not make sense, but his gameplay is fun, and knowing he’s a legit Fatal Fury fan makes him a welcome inclusion.

Many characters are absent for now, but more are coming via DLC. So far, Season 1, which is free, has already been announced with Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi returning, Mr. Big from SNK’s other fighter, Art of Fighting, and guest characters Ken and Chun-Li from Capcom’s Street Fighter. It’ll be interesting to see who else from Fatal Fury’s past gets added in future seasons, or even characters from other SNK games or more guest characters. Whoever they may be, let’s hope we don’t see any more celebrities taking spots away from characters we want to see.

The game has the usual modes you’d expect in a fighting game. Story works like arcade mode, where players choose any available characters and experience their stories through beautifully illustrated motion-comic-like cutscenes and fully voiced dialogue in either Japanese or English. The characters sound great in either language. Versus can be played normally or with special conditions, and Training is where you can perfect your moves and learn new combos.

In my personal experience playing Online, I’ve mostly had smooth matches with barely any lag, thanks to its excellent rollback netcode. Even some opponents worldwide with a single bar barely had any issues either. Of course, some matches struggled, but so far, they’ve been few and far between. Ranked, Casual and Lobbies are available, and crossplay is included to allow more players to face off on all relevant consoles.

EOST is the newest single-player mode, which stands for Episodes of South Town, where the story of Fatal Fury primarily takes place. It’s an RPG-like game that provides even more story to each character, and players can level up and boost their stats to take on the bigger fights ahead. Here, you can unlock collectibles such as art, concept art, and even conversations between different characters that are fully voiced. There is also a minigame where you have to karate chop beer bottles like Marco Rodrigues, referencing Art of Fighting. Each character can take 2-3 hours to complete, providing many hours of single-player content.

You can view everything you’ve unlocked in Gallery and listen to all the tracks from all Fatal Fury games in Jukebox, and Color Edit allows you to customise your characters’ colours. The latest Fatal Fury is so feature-rich and full of references to past games, delivering plenty of fan service. With SNK going all out with advertising, such as athletes and influencers promoting it and the game even being a sponsor for WWE’s WrestleMania this year, it would be nice if it had features to explain more of the game’s lore, as SNK is trying to attract new fans. Still, they’ll be clueless about what Fatal Fury is all about without playing all the past games.

Since SNK committed to 3D graphics with King of Fighters XIV in 2016, they’ve done an amazing job improving each game’s graphics. The bright and colourful comic look works incredibly well to complement the style and personality of Fatal Fury. The music features new tracks that fit well in their respective stages but can also be customised with tracks from all past games, plus a few from other SNK fighters in Jukebox to add nostalgia to your experience. The main theme, “Chain Reaction”, is a banger to listen to and gets you hyped for some Fatal Fury action.

After 26 long years, Fatal Fury hits back like a Power Geyser, and SNK is pulling out all the stops to make it one of the premiere fighting games without falling off Geese Tower, and so far, this wild ambition has paid off. The battles are exciting to watch and a blast to play, with fans already excited to see the top players duke it out at all the big eSports events this year. A new era of Fatal Fury has begun, and it’s time to get those knuckles burning in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves!

Written by: Sammy Hanson