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During Summer Game Fest 2024, SNK revealed more information for the upcoming fighter Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. This latest entry in the series features new characters and system mechanics, and it finally got a release window. Here’s what we know so far:
What is Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is the latest title in the cult classic fighting game series Fatal Fury. In particular, this game is a follow up to Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, which is also known as Garou: Mark of the Wolves in Japan.
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves’ story follows Rock Howard, the son of Geese Howard, as he participates in the King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament. With this being a direct sequel to Mark of the Wolves, the game will continue the events of the 1999 arcade fighter. The characters announced by SNK support this.
While the exact release date is unknown, SNK has given a release window of early 2025 for the latest entry in the Fatal Fury franchise. Given Evo is the fighting game event that habitually takes place between mid July and early August annually, we could hear an announcement pertaining to it then.
There is a chance we could see it at Evo 2025. The fighting games that are included in the event line up are typically titles that released before the organization announces the main games in February. If SNK wants this to be a part of the next tournament, the fighting game developer will likely aim for a January or February 2025 release window.
Who are the confirmed Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves characters?
SNK announced returning characters, in addition to new folks, for the anticipated sequel. Below is a list of everyone confirmed so far:
- B. Jenet
- Hotaru Futaba
- Marco Rodrigues
- Preecha
- Rock Howard
- Terry Bogard
- Tizoc
- Vox Reaper
It is unknown how many characters will appear in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. However, in a recent Q&A at Summer Games Fest with YouTuber, rooflemonger, Fatal Fury producer, Yasuyuki Oda, hinted at fewer characters than his recent title, The King of Fighters XV. For reference, 39 appeared in that title at launch.
You can watch the most recent character trailer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves below:
How do the Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves systems work?
SNK implements a plethora of mechanics from Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves into a modern form. Just Defense, Hyper Defense, Guard Cancel, Braking, and Wild Punish are a few of the systems present. Like most fighting games that have been released in the past decade, this entry in the franchise also includes a way for new players to easily assimilate the game’s controls.
SNK added a new control scheme called Smart Style. You can see the official grid for it below. Smart Style allows you to do complicated techniques by reducing the number of buttons you press.
While this is an option for newcomers, there are moves that can only be done in the other control scheme: Arcade Style. Arcade Style is the traditional control scheme for City of the Wolves. Each mechanic in the game is done by manual input compared to Smart Style. With Arcade Style, players get access to four face buttons on their controllers and a shoulder button.
This entry also includes the REV system. Tied to the shoulder button (R1 or RB), REV Guard is a part of a new toolset that provides a new way to play the Fatal Fury series. This new system is called the REV System. The REV system consists of REV Blow, REV Arts, REV Accel, and REV Guard.
The REV Meter is a bar that builds up when using any of the REV System mechanics. You will enter into Overheat Status if the REV Meter reaches 100%. Once in Overheat, REV actions are no longer available for use.
The T.O.P System from Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves returns under the guise of the SPG System. SPG (or Selective Potential Gear) is a bar that overlays the health bar in three different designations: the beginning, middle, and end. Gain certain benefits if the current health of your character is in this range. Recover health, unlock REV Blows, and increase attack power while SPG is active.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is coming to the PC, PlayStation 4|5, and Xbox Series X|S in early 2025.
