Fatal Fury used to be SNK’s flagship fighting game series. It got multiple sequels and even a spin-off, but over time, the hype faded, and King of Fighters became SNK’s main focus. Later, they revived the series with a sequel called Garou: Mark of the Wolves. This was an evolution of Fatal Fury, set years in the future, featuring an older (and way cooler) Terry Bogard and introducing Rock Howard—Geese Howard’s son, the main villain of the original series. Even though Geese was supposedly dead, Rock ended up being mentored by Terry as he learned to deal with life’s challenges.
Fatal Fury started in the early ’90s, but Garou: Mark of the Wolves came out much later, near the 2000s. This game centered on a new tournament called Maximum Mayhem, separate from King of Fighters. It brought back classic Fatal Fury characters like Andy, Terry, and Joe, alongside newcomers like Rock, Hotaru, and Gato. The roster was small, with around 14 fighters (including one unlockable), but the real strength was its mechanics. It was a polished, well-made game with a fantastic sprite-based art style.
Now, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is the official follow-up to Garou, and it seems to keep the same tight roster. There are only 17 main fighters at launch, with more coming in a season pass—including guest characters. Two strange additions are Ronaldo (yes, the soccer player) and Salvatore. These guest fighters are already in the base game, with more planned for the season pass. But these two have become the most controversial part of the game’s marketing and release—and for good reason, since they feel completely broken right now.
Now, let’s talk about the gameplay in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. It builds on systems from its predecessor, like the Just Defense mechanic, which works similarly to parries in Street Fighter 6. Instead of a dedicated button, you time a back input right as an attack lands. There’s also an expanded Hyper Defense system, adding more depth. Fighting games are already complex, but unfortunately, City of the Wolves doesn’t offer a deep tutorial or training mode. I’ve always appreciated Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6’s training tools, but here, it feels barebones. You get a basic tutorial covering movement and attacks, then a quick dive into mechanics—but you’re left to figure out combo intricacies on your own in practice mode.
There’s a Missions mode that teaches simple character combos, similar to Street Fighter 6, but to really learn moves, you have to check the command list and lab them yourself. The game does try to ease newcomers in with two control styles: Arcade (traditional inputs) and Smart, SNK’s take on Street Fighter 6’s Modern controls. Smart simplifies specials and combos into single buttons, but I found it less intuitive—some moves are locked behind it, making it feel restrictive.
As for single-player content, I’ll be honest—it left me a little disappointed. The Episodes of South Town story mode lets you pick any fighter and follow their journey, but the presentation is underwhelming. Instead of exploring a city (Street Fighter 6) or an arcade (Tekken 8), you get a static map with marked locations. You complete random missions or fight generic NPCs for EXP, unlocking bits of story. It’s a fairly lackluster mode—budget constraints might be the reason—but thankfully, it’s not the only single-player option.
Aside from standard versus battles, there’s also an Arcade mode with classic old-school fights, complete with unique intros, endings, and even special bosses—a nice touch. You can adjust the CPU difficulty, so it’s a decent way to warm up before jumping into ranked. But let’s be real: even with Arcade and Mission mode practice, it won’t be enough. Fighting games demand serious lab time to get good, and ranked mode? It’s a bloodbath out there.
I didn’t get much online play during early access, but once the game officially launched, I dove into ranked matches. The netcode held up surprisingly well—more like Tekken 8 than Street Fighter 6, with solid rollback and fewer server hiccups. That said, the ranking system feels off. The game asks you to pick a starting rank based on what CPU difficulty you can beat in Arcade mode, which… doesn’t really work. Even after crushing CPU level 4, I got thrown into matches against players way above my skill level. I’d have preferred a proper placement system, like Street Fighter 6’s, where you play a set of matches to determine your rank. Funny enough, the first open beta actually worked that way—not sure why they changed it.
The online multiplayer is rock-solid, featuring cross-platform play and plenty of modes right out the gate—casual, ranked, and room matches for playing with friends. The real surprise was Clone mode, which is basically Tekken 8‘s Ghost Battles. You can fight an AI trained on your own playstyle, create clones based on other players, or even challenge SNK’s pre-made clone. It’s a neat idea, though I only scratched the surface and didn’t dive too deep into it.
That said, the lack of substantial single-player content stings, especially with such a small starting roster. And I’ve got to be honest—Salvatore and Ronaldo just don’t click with me. Their animations feel off, and their movesets are straight-up overpowered. I’ve seen them pull off combos that melt health bars in seconds, so here’s hoping for some balance patches soon. The rest of the cast is solid, though a few characters (looking at you, Gato) also feel a bit too strong right now. But hey, it’s launch week—these things usually get ironed out.
Where City of the Wolves truly shines is its gameplay. It nails the balance between offense and defense. Beyond Just Defense and Hyper Defense, there’s the Rev system, letting you block without chip damage and cancel specials into juggles for flashy combos. The old T.O.P. system has been revamped into S.P.G. (Selective Potential Gear), which you can set at the start of each match. Want to go all-in from round one? Place it at the beginning. Prefer a more tactical approach? Position it later to suit your playstyle. It’s a smart layer of strategy that keeps fights dynamic.
The game keeps the classic supers and specials, with combos focusing on canceling moves into each other. But honestly, most matches come down to whiff punishing—catching opponents’ mistakes and rushing in to dish out big damage. The Rev system adds defensive depth when your health is in the S.P.G. zone, letting you unleash a Rev Blow or a powered-up Rev Art. Just be careful: overusing these can trigger Overheat, leaving you vulnerable to guard crushes.
Super moves work off a traditional meter that builds over time. You’ve got two types: Ignition Gear (one bar) and Redline Gear (both bars), great for extending combos or escaping pressure. Inputs are straightforward—think classic fighting game motions like double quarter-circles. Some characters have trickier supers, but hey, that’s what practice mode is for.
Matches usually stick to a single lane, but there’s a two-lane mode as a throwback to the old-school games. It’s tucked away in a separate mode—more of a fun gimmick for casual play than anything competitive. Still, it’s a blast with friends. Oh, and props to the Steam Deck performance: FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves runs flawlessly handheld. Perfect for labbing combos during your commute or killing time after work.
FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves Game Information
- Price: $59.99
- Publisher: SNK
- Developer: SNK
- Platform: PC and PS5 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
