Fatal Fury – City of the Wolves: Review (PS5)

As a self-confessed Neo-Geo fanboy and with two amazing fighting games in Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 still rolling out DLC, I was giddy as all get up with the announcement of a new Fatal Fury for next-gen consoles. Even more so with Capcom and SNK agreeing to more character crossovers in their respective series.

Fatal Fury – City of the Wolves (CoW), perhaps not surprisingly, borrows from both Street Fighter 6 (SF6) and Tekken 8 while also forming its own fighting path. To begin, the REV System in Fatal Fury CoW is near-mirror to the SF6 Super Arts ones. Power up these attack meters during a match…and unleash all kinds of hell on your opponent on a scale from 1-3. Fatal Fury CoW also allows you to chain REV attacks…a cool new twist.

On the PS5 Pro, Fatal Fury CoW’s Smart Style will make SF6 Modern control scheme loyalists feel right at home. This mode simplifies combos to a single button press and directional pad entry, while REV System moves are but one more button. The same can be said for the REV Guard system (which absorbs enemy contact akin to SF6’s energy protection), also REV Blows which would equate to the SF6 Punish Counter. Finally, throws are similarly mapped to one button under this scheme.

From the Tekken 8 side of the house, Fatal Fury CoW is big on counterattacks and chaining similar strikes to create near-unblockable combos. What is Fatal Fury unique certainly stands out, as timing is everything on defense. Perfectly executed and timed dodges, feints and blocks trigger an array of strategic openings to punish the attacker. Button spammers will have nightmares about Fatal Fury – CoW. As this is still a brand-new title, I’m expecting the best online players will be those who master the unique defense mechanics while picking their spots extremely carefully in counter-strikes. Finally, Selective Potential Gear, or S.P.G., allows a player to highlight a point in their health meter for maximum offensive impact.

Fatal Fury CoW’s 17 fighter roster is diverse, with no two playing alike. Much ado’s been made about its Saudi developer’s odd insertion of their favorite DJ and futbol player, but I don’t see any difference from Mortal Kombat’s obsession in pulling in any and every franchise, and let’s not forget Soul Calibur IV featured Geralt of Rivia. It’s not like these devs are charging for these additional characters as paid DLC. Warning: Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi, however, are pay to play. Ditto Ken, Chun-Li and Mr. Big.

Fatal Fury CoW Art style is reminiscent of Guilty Gear, with a hand-drawn animation approach that works well enough. Unlike Guilty Gear, Fatal Fury CoW characters feel a bit plastered onto surroundings…and there’s no interactive environments elements either (which work so well in Tekken 8, Injustice, among others).

There’s a robust online matchmaking offering option for those wishing to conquer the Fatal Fury CoW world, and it’s nice to finally pair based on skill level versus grinding away to eke out a few victories. Fatal Fury CoW is also 100% online crossplay compatible in the most amazing way. PS5, PS4, Xbox X|S, Windows 10, Steam and Epic Games owners can all get in on the fun.

Offline missions, an Episodes of South Town semi-open world exploration round out Fatal Fury CoW modes.

Music remains a strong suit of the Fatal Fury series, and this is no different. Fatal Fury CoW also provides the coolest option to listen to literally every song in the entire series! Moreover, it features a terrific and easy to use player color customization option all fighters should emulate.

Execution-wise, I’m still not sure what to think of Fatal Fury CoW. While its controls mirror Street Fighter and Tekken, it certainly doesn’t play like them. Speed is very different, jumping mechanisms a tad staccato, and the fighters lack the panache of these other titles. Timing also feels a tad off, which is a bit of a no-no with defensive mechanics so essential to enjoying this to its fullest. It just doesn’t feel…finished. I’m assuming a slew of patches to better time specific attacks and responses will be a work in progress over initial months.

Moreover, going to default arcade controls offers up more gameplay options but also complicates to a point of near-frustration for a new Fatal Fury player. The tutorial mode is sorely lacking, with only one player accessible in it. Warning: Fatal Fury CoW installs most of its data while in game. Your game isn’t broken if you’re limited to Tutorial and Practice until almost 90% of the title installed post initial copy. This confused the heck out of me, as no indication why almost all of the game is inaccessible when indicated as ‘installed.’

All in all, if you’re looking for something different and have fond memories of Fatal Fury, you can do a lot worse than CoW. With an amazing several decades’ long track record to support this claim, SNK doesn’t abandon its fight titles. It’s definitely a step up in presentation and possibility from King of Fighters XV while endlessly more accessible than Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear and DNF Duel.

Final Thoughts?

Fatal Fury – City of the Wolves is a welcome return to the legendary series with some new REV wrinkles, defensive schemes, and wonderful cross-play that literally covers every modern console. No one will accuse it of being a Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8 killer, but it’s a nice alternative for both online and offline players.