Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Reviews
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!
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves marks a triumphant return for SNK’s legendary series, blending classic 2D fighting mechanics with bold new systems and a striking urban aesthetic. With a balanced roster, refined combat depth, and full cross-play, it stands tall among modern fighters, though occasional presentation inconsistencies and a shallow RPG mode hold it back from perfection.
FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves marks an impactful return to the series, alongside new playable characters, fresh gameplay and astounding graphics, engraving it as a fun and exciting experience that we recommend for fighting fans
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves marks a poignant pause in a saga that has spanned 34 years, serving as both a celebration and a thoughtful reflection for a storied franchise. Centered around the refined REV system, its combat design strikes a balance between sophistication and thrilling comebacks. Cross-play and rollback netcode meet modern standards, offering a solid experience for today’s fighting game audience. Rich character presentation and stylish direction deliver nostalgia for longtime fans while also providing a welcoming entry point for newcomers. However, dated elements in input mechanics and content unlocking systems slightly dampen the experience, and the accessibility of the Smart Style controls falls short of expectations. Rather than a bold new chapter, the game feels more like a respectful look back—an homage to the past and a quiet setup for what may come next.
Review in Korean | Read full review