Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Reviews
Overall, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has perhaps one of the most enjoyable combat systems I’ve played in a modern FG and with the blend of strong offensive and defensive options it seems like SNK is really working to create a system that tries to force constant two way interactions. With strong mechanics and a cast that’s fun to use all around I do hope the game can really take off and find it’s place in the ever growing line up of Strong fighting games in a high point for the genre overall.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a satisfying fighter with a gorgeous art style but odd roster inclusions, bad menus, and a rocky multiplayer launch issue dampen this long awaited return.
While we have a very dry and stripped-down single player mode, we also have a fun and deep 2D fighting game that we really felt was needed. A simplified control scheme is available as a function of a plug-and-play experience for the neophyte. The animations of the 3D models fail to compete with the fluidity and beauty of Street Fighter 6's animations or rival the models of Tekken 8, lending a functional aesthetic to a title that besides inviting guests from the real world, does nothing else to attract new players to it. Nonetheless, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves manages to shine in a jaw-dropping light of its own, and I truly hope it represents a firm reinsertion point in the videogame palimpsest of a saga that had been sorely missed.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a superb game. It’s got great gameplay, a plethora of content, and a unique art style that ties the game together. It does have its issues, most notably its roster, which really holds the game back. That being said, the game does a great job of bringing Fatal Fury into the modern day and is a great evolution of the franchise. If you’re a big fan of the Fatal Fury series or fighting games in general, this game is definitely recommended.
While it misses the mark in its single-player offerings and the online experience is still not up to competitors' standards, City of the Wolves is one of the most mechanically deep and fun fighting games to come out in recent years
While the gameplay is fun and engaging, the lack of polish makes Fatal Fury - City of the Wolves a subpar successor to Garou. Odd design choices - like including two real world personalities in the roster - and a single player mode that plays like a list of chores detract from the otherwise great offline and online versus experience.
Review in German | Read full review
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves could be SNK’s best ever all-round fighting game, with a great blend of new mechanics and familiar returning faves.
The learning curve is quite steep, and the exercises in training mode could be more accessible. Furthermore, the staging and presentation of the story sections could be much more dynamic. The game feels rather dated here. If you can overlook this, you can still really put the pedal to the metal in "City of the Wolves" and let your fury run wild.
Review in German | Read full review
The fighting game community is currently plagued by a problem: the game mechanics are being softened to appeal to casual players. But neither pros nor casuals want that. The latter would be more than happy with more solo game modes. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves doesn't offer these in a satisfactory form, but that aside, it feels like an alternative at this point. It is a challenging option that will delight hardcore fans in particular with its high learning curve and in-depth game mechanics. Despite audiovisual restraint and uninspired solo content, the pugilist impresses with great playability and tactical variety. A bold game that deliberately goes against current trends in the genre.
Review in German | Read full review
After so long, Fatal Fury makes a long-awaited triumphant return. For fans, this is a dream fulfilled as Mark of the Wolves left many stories unfinished when it launched back in 1999. The series seamlessly adapts to modern times with City of the Wolves, introducing unique mechanics that promise to deliver intense experiences for solo and competitive players. The game also feels like a heartfelt tribute to SNK enthusiasts, packed with familiar elements that long-time fans of the company’s other fighting franchises, particularly Art of Fighting, will recognize. Fatal Fury’s deep lore continues to shine as the story progresses, leaving room to explore South Town and beyond.
Intricate mechanics, accessible controls and amazing graphics help make Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves an easy fighting game to recommend.
A confident, stylish return for one of fighting game history’s most iconic franchises. Deep, accessible, and packed with features, City of the Wolves howls with potential.
Despite some hiccups on the presentation side, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves delivers in all the ways that matter most.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a very good representative of the genre, but I feel that after a maximum of a few months, I will put it aside. I want something more from a title of this caliber.
So has SNK learned from their previous games and made Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves a game worthy of the mighty Lone Wolves of Southtown? The answer to that is a resounding yes. In my humble opinion, this is the finest SNK game since King of Fighters XIII and does the legacy of Fatal Fury/Garou proud. It looks amazing, the new systems feel completely natural, it has an excellent flow to the matches, the roster is well balanced, and the free Season 1 DLC featuring Chun-Li and Ken Masters from Street Fighter are just a nice sweetener for that. The game just feels so good to play and string moves together that I can just see people getting hooked by it. As a fighter, it feels like the perfect combo of modern gaming and arcade gaming. For a casual gamer, I still believe there is a healthy amount of content here to grip and perhaps be your gateway game into the genre. This is the highest bar and likely the best game to convert anyone over to the series. The admittedly somewhat confusing marketing will undoubtedly create some curiosity in some gamers interested in its real life guest characters, but I expect them to stay for not only the best alternative to Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1, but for the game that has the best chance of winning the bout and becoming King of the Mountain.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves enters the fray with an old-school mentality and youthful energy that can provide the kind of fighting game experience many people are looking for on the current scene.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is truly the full package for SNK fans and fighting game veterans looking for a new 1v1 fighter that can go toe-to-toe with this generation's Street Fighter 6. The 17-character roster (with 5 more coming) have a ton of variety and expanded moveset for all sorts of playstyles, the game's aesthetics are full of life and uniqueness, the fighting mechanics are a good balance between simple and complex with tons of nuances, and the extra single-player modes will keep you occupied. It is truly a sublime fighting game experience for both newcomers and veterans.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a blast to play thanks to its intriguing mechanics and strong presentation. The singleplayer offerings can be a bit repetitive, but fighting feels great and provides plenty of depth to take advantage of. If you’ve ever wanted to break into Fatal Fury, this is a fantastic choice to start with.
Still, I don’t want to focus too much on the negative. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is already a deep and satisfying fighting game with a ton going for it. I never thought I’d see another Fatal Fury game, and while it hasn’t yet surpassed Mark of the Wolves in my heart, I definitely want to keep coming back for more. I just hope those server issues don’t continue to be an issue.
After 26 years, Fatal Fury is finally back—and City of the Wolves hits! It makes a bold return with deep story content, solid offline/online modes, and ambitious mechanics. While I'm not a fan of how SNK implemented the Smart Style control scheme, and the online experience has some issues, this is undoubtedly SNK’s strongest modern fighter yet!