Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

After a hiatus of almost 26 years, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has successfully brought back one of the most iconic fighting game franchises of the 90s. With excellent gameplay and a great blend of tradition and modernity, the direct sequel to Garou is still an extremely familiar game for fans of the 1999 classic, but with a host of new features capable of attracting a new audience.

City of the Wolves is a solid instalment in the series, and a game that is in love with its past, while adding new layers everywhere that counts. There is substantial single player content, multiplayer of value and considerable roster. SNK fans will be eating well today – as long as they are prepared to pay extra for content.

City of the Wolves is quite a mechanically deep game, and to my eyes, has an incredibly well considered fighting experience powering it. Such depth will require practice, which means that casual players might have a hard time jumping on for fifteen minutes a day. Basic, simple combos aren’t going to cut it against some of the insanely-lengthy murder chains that even intermediate players can whip out. The difference in damage is just too extreme, and the optional Smart Combo mode for beginners is more of a learning tool than a serious way to play. On the flip side, it’s absolutely worth putting the time in.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is one of the most mechanically complex fighters in years, offering a deep combat system you can master over dozens of hours—especially in multiplayer, where the game truly shines. However, the single-player content is repetitive, the story lacks impact, and the game struggles to present its complex mechanics in an intuitive way.

A comeback? Yes, we can say so. Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves is beautiful, fast-paced, and has a netcode that works perfectly for facing off against your friends or complete strangers online. There are certainly a few drawbacks, notably the choice of certain characters, Ronaldo in particular, and a story mode that is unfortunately rather anecdotal, but we readily forgive the 26-year wait given the quality of this production, which marks a spectacular return for this essential saga of the fighting game genre.

A strong and stylish comeback for SNK's classic fighting series, held back by a few technical missteps that stop it just short of greatness.

Intricate mechanics, accessible controls and amazing graphics help make Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves an easy fighting game to recommend.

Move over KOF. Fatal Fury is back with a vengeance, and it's great. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is an attractive, immediate, and enjoyable fighting game with a lot going on. And, yet, it's easy to pick up and play, but tough to master, rewarding practice and perseverance. It's well worth putting in the time to get good.

Fatal Fury deserved a grand return, and I think it has found it in City of the Wolves, despite being a little below the technical prowess of other great franchises in the genre, such as Tekken 8 or its most direct rival, Street Fighter 6. The new mechanics feel right for a new audience, and the constant nods to long-time fans are there to keep the nostalgia alive. This installment may not reinvent the genre, but I think it will earn a cherished place among fighting fans.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a dedicated hardcore game with a lot of mechanics that make it feel like a response to Street Fighter 6, which is a bit of a hilarious thought considering its predecessor 25 years ago was a response of sorts to Street Fighter III: Third Strike.