Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – Everything You Need to Know

by

As a dedicated gaming enthusiast, I can’t contain my excitement about SNK’s upcoming fighting game sensation, “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves,” dropping on April 24th! It’ll be available on Xbox Series, PS5, PC, and even PS4. For those who pre-order, you’ll get a sneak peek for three days before everyone else. But let’s be real, what we’ve all been eagerly anticipating is the sequel to “Garou: Mark of the Wolves” – a wait that spans over decades! If you’re ready to dive back into this iconic series, here are 15 essential things you should know before grabbing your copy.

Roster

As a dedicated fan, I can’t wait to dive into “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” at launch! A significant portion of the roster hails from “Garou: Mark of the Wolves,” including familiar faces like B. Jenet, Gato, Hotaru, Rock, Terry, Tizoc, and more. But there are also exciting new additions, such as Preecha, a Muay Thai fighter mentored by Joe Higashi, and Vox Reaper, an assassin who serves under Grant. Notably, fan-favorites like Mai Shiranui and Billy Kane return, and for the first time, we get to play as Kain R. Heinlein, a character who was previously a boss!

The Wildcards

It’s all good so far, but SNK has introduced two unexpected characters that are quite extraordinary. One is football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who steps into South Town and swiftly teaches his opponents a lesson with powerful kicks and energy blasts. The other is DJ Salvatore Ganacci, who surprisingly wields his voice as a weapon (and even manages to swim in the air). If they turn out to be pivotal characters, it’ll certainly shake things up!

Stages

In the ongoing battle on a 2.5D plane, “City of the Wolves” boasts some familiar classic stages returning from past games. For instance, Freight Express is reminiscent of Terry’s stage in “Fatal Fury 2” and “Garou,” but with fresh characters added to the background rock. Additionally, Tizoc’s Universal Arena has been significantly improved. Other exciting additions include IP Space Center and Yuri’s Fitness Club, which appears to have been inspired by Yuri’s stage in “Art of Fighting 2.” There are many more stages to look forward to as well.

Training

In simple terms, the Training Mode allows you to hone your skills by adjusting numerous options. You can assess damage, timing for impacts, and a host of other factors as you perfect your commands and sequences. Furthermore, it’s convenient that you can activate matchmaking automatically in the background while you rehearse.

Just Defend and SPG

In the world of Garou, Defend and T.O.P, now known as S.P.G., are coming back. These characters serve a crucial role in executing timely blocks (and there’s also Hyper Defense for combo sequences). Their presence not only helps cool down the REV Meter but also slightly restores health, and they can even transition smoothly into an attack.

In simpler terms, S.P.G is a feature that can be adjusted before starting a fight. Once your health drops to a specific level during the battle, it gets activated. This allows you to deliver powerful REV Blows causing significant damage and temporarily ignoring incoming attacks. Additionally, you’ll deal more damage overall, making it easier for you to have a strong start or make a comeback if you find yourself in a tough situation.

Ignition, Redline and Hidden Gears

In this game, special abilities called Gears are available, which include Ignition Gears that activate with one bar of energy and Redline Gears that need two (and inflict more damage). If you’re in a tight spot, there’s an option known as Hidden Gear, usable only during S.P.G., that consumes both bars to launch a powerful attack.

REV System

In the new REV System, unique to both the franchise and SNK titles, a gauge at the screen’s base enables special moves. This system facilitates the performance of REV Blows (previously mentioned powerful attacks) and REV Arts (stronger variants of Special Moves). The REV Accel feature links multiple REV Arts together, while the REV Guard prevents minor damage and provides a momentary pause for strategy.

If the meter reaches the Overheat phase, your defense meter may get shattered, leaving you briefly unable to move, and denying you the use of any REV moves. This is similar to the Drive Gauge in Street Fighter 6, but it works quite nicely.

Episodes From South Town

In addition to the similarities drawn with Street Fighter 6, Episodes From South Town also shares some traits with World Tour. Just like in World Tour, you’ll traverse Central City (and Second South as hinted in the official trailer) and take on numerous other combatants. By doing so, you’ll accumulate experience, advance to higher levels, and acquire skills. However, unlike World Tour where you can create your own fighter, Episodes From South Town allows you to choose from a predefined roster of characters instead.

Arcade Style and Smart Style

The trend of various control methods is persisting, and Fatal Fury has jumped aboard this train. This game provides two control options – Arcade Style, which operates like a traditional setup, and Smart Style, designed for swift combo execution. The distinctions are noteworthy, as Smart Style omits many intricacies found in Arcade mode. For instance, there’s no option to break or feint; Hidden Gear can’t be utilized, and Super Moves will exhaust the entire meter in one go.

Fatal Fury is now offering two ways to play – an old-school style (Arcade) and a simplified version (Smart). Smart mode is easier for combos but lacks certain complex features like breaking, feinting, or using Hidden Gear. Super Moves will drain the entire meter in one go with this mode too.

Cosmetic Customization and Jukebox

Customizing cosmetics means having the freedom to independently alter various aspects of a character, such as their eyes, hair, clothing, shoes, and so on. You can pick different patterns, resize them, apply a shimmering effect, and much more. Fancy giving Hotaru a striking yellow tiger print makeover? Feel free! Notably, The Jukebox offers an extensive library of music from previous Fatal Fury series if you’d like to immerse yourself in the nostalgia of the classics.

Online Modes

At the initial release, you’ll find three online modes: Casual Match, Room Match, and Ranked Match. The last one provides options to adjust connection speed and decide whether to enable cross-play. On the other hand, Room Match offers the flexibility to customize a room by setting the number of participants, region, privacy settings, and additional features. Furthermore, the user interface clearly displays rank, win-loss records, and current winning streaks.

Rollback Netcode and Cross-Play

Supporters of the game “Garou” had to endure long years without features such as rollback netcode and cross-platform compatibility. However, in “City of the Wolves“, these elements are integrated, enabling players on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to engage at launch. Early responses towards the netcode have been mostly positive, with the overall quality earning appreciation post-betas, although there are some matchmaking glitches reported. Naturally, how everything will function during the launch is yet to be determined.

Full English Voice Acting

One significant innovation found in “City of the Wolves” revolves around the character voices. This marks the debut of English voiceovers in a Fatal Fury game and also the first time an SNK title has featured such localization in quite some time. While purists may choose to stick with Japanese, this move indicates that SNK is making a concerted effort to appeal to a global audience.

Post-Launch Characters

It’s been confirmed that Ken Masters and Chun-Li from Street Fighter are now part of the game, possibly due to Terry and Mai from Street Fighter 6 being featured in it. However, there’s more to come! The first post-launch character to be added is Andy Bogard, who will make his appearance this Summer, with Ken following close behind. Joe Higashi is set to join in the Fall, then Chun-Li in the Winter. To conclude Season 1, Mr. Big, a character originating from Art of Fighting as a boss, is expected to debut early in 2026.

PC Requirements

To set up this game on a PC, you’ll require at least 60 GB of storage space, although a Solid State Drive (SSD) isn’t strictly necessary. The minimum system specifications include an Intel Core i5-7500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (4GB) graphics card. For a smoother gaming experience, the recommended requirements are an Intel Core i7 8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card. While these specifications aren’t weak by any means, the visual quality and resolution that each configuration offers are yet to be determined.

Read More

2025-04-14 16:13