During 2024’s Summer Game Fest, I got hands-on time with SNK’s highly anticipated fighting game, Fatal Fury City of the Wolves. After playing it and chatting with the devs, this is a fighting game that fans of the genre will want to play because it is extremely fun to play and does some things differently than other fighting games. For those who may be unaware, the franchise Fatal Fury originally came out in the 90s, and there hasn’t been a new one in almost 25 years.
Why SNK Revived Fatal Fury After 25 Years
In an interview with MonsterVine, Chief Producer Yasuyuki Oda explained that one of the biggest reasons for bringing Fatal Fury back was that “King of Fighters is obviously kind of like a mainstream title for a long time. But it’s always an All-Star game with every other game kind of converging on it.” Oda always wanted to help restore older titles like Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury to its glory days.
Fatal Fury City of the Wolves is a 2D fighting game that gives the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 6 a run for their money. One of the main features that made this game stand out was how it handles its Rev system.
In our interview, Oda and Art Supervisor Nobuyuki Kuroki explained that the Rev System separates them from their fighting game peers. Since players will have access to this at the start of the game, it can drastically change how fast some games play out.
SNK’s Commitment to Long-Term Support for Fatal Fury
Many fighting games live and die based on how well they’re supported post-launch. When asked how they plan on supporting the game, Oda explained that SNK has a plan on what to do:
“We’re already planning from the early stages to have a very long support plan. So several years probably of content already planned out from the early stages, which is the most we’ve done for any title.”
At the end of our interview, Oda revealed that SNK is planning to add more characters to King of Fighters 15. However, no details were given about who they might be or when a release date for them will be announced.
During my time with Fatal Fury City of the Wolves, I can confidently say that this will be one of those fighting games into which I invest too much time. The art style is beautiful, the game runs smoothly, and no character feels too overpowered. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has a lot going for it, and even if you don’t know much about the franchise, this game serves as a great starting point for many players.
Fatal Fury City of the Wolves is scheduled to come out in Q1 of 2025. It’ll be playable on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
