Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Legend Edition Review (PC)
Summary: City of the Wolves enters Year 2 as a far better game than it set out as. Iconic additions complete what was missing, and SNK shows they're willing to go the extra mile to support this title. Beyond that the game remains mechanically dense and a ton of fun, on top of being pretty and sounding amazing. It's a worthy revival of a true classic.
5
Rev it up even more!
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has had a rocky launch, and a year of ups and downs beyond that. But at the end of the journey, I can say SNK has managed to mostly keep it on the up ‘n up. City of the Wolves is a long-awaited successor to Garou: Mark of the Wolves — which was the last Fatal Fury game released more than 25 years ago. Most of that game’s roster returned for Year One, which revved up a game that’s promised to be run for years.
Season 1 saw Fatal Fury and KOF mainstays Andy Bogard & Joe Higashi join the fight, and Street Fighters Ken & Chun-Li also opted to pay South Town a visit after Terry and Mai visited Metro City in Street Fighter 6 last year. Season 1 came at no extra cost, included with the base game.
After a wild year back in South Town, SNK has promised us an even wilder Year 2 in the last weeks. With Season 2’s launch, they’re making good on that promise. Mimicking City of the Wolves’ launch, a brief AI‑related stint had the community in uproar despite the amazing reveals of Kenshiro likely joining the roster as a guest character, and the fact that we’d get six new characters this year — one every month until June — with Season 3 possibly already starting after that.
The first one of those characters rejoining the roster is Kim Jae Hoon, one of the two missing characters from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Jae Hoon returns in a fiery blaze and is a joy to have in my hands again. His moveset is far more familiar to me than his cocky brother’s, and it really feels like the game got something it was missing in his arrival. Iconic characters like Geese Howard, Blue Mary, and an older Wolfgang Krauser are also set to join the roster in February, March, and April. Season 2’s trailer already gives us a brief look at them, and City of the Wolves’ art style realises them well. It feels like SNK wants to show they’re truly all-in with this game.
Season 1 and 2 are now combined in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – Legend Edition — a new edition of the game that costs 50 EUR/75 AUD. Season Pass 2 is available separately for only 20 EUR/30 AUD for people that don’t have the Legend Edition — cheaper than an expansion pass in most fighting games today, which provide fewer characters.
A big balance update accompanies Season 2’s launch, tuning some of the particularly overpowering characters like Kain, and pretty much the entire roster beyond that gets some touch-ups as well, making the game feel fresher as we enter this new year. Jae Hoon is an honest addition to the roster so far, not too overtuned or undertuned as far as I’ve experienced. How some of these other new additions will shake up the roster each month remains to be seen, but the game’s competitive scene will be evolving at a quick pace with the amount of additions in such a short time span.
With Kim Jae Hoon’s addition, and only Freeman missing in action for a possible Season 3, City of the Wolves feels like a more complete game than it launched as – and more than that. The City of the Wolves looks to be a growing presence in the FGC and will be backed up for years to come. If you haven’t joined or come back to South Town yet to check out the roster’s arcade endings, spar with your friends, play online competitively or casually, or want to explore the “Episodes of South Town” mode with each character, there’s never been a better time. Fatal Fury is a classic franchise that still belongs with the greats of today, and it looks to definitively prove that this year to anyone that hasn’t figured that out yet. It’s already proven itself to me. Oh – and it has an amazing soundtrack as well.
See you in South Town.
About the Author
Lander Van Poucke Lander is a passionate gamer from Belgium with a flair for the dramatic. Valuing storytelling & narrative in games, he favours single-player games, RPG's & fighting games for their lore and vast array of characters.
Related Posts
Star-Studded Soundtrack for The Eternal Life of Goldman Brings Together Acclaimed International Composers →
SQUARE ENIX UNVEILS NEW TITLES AND TRAILERS IN LATEST NINTENDO DIRECT →
A GRAND ADVENTURE DRAWS NEAR! DRAGON QUEST VII REIMAGINED IS NOW AVAILABLE →
