Do you remember the first time you witnessed Terry Bogard shouting “Are you okay?” before unleashing his devastating Buster Wolf?
For me, it was in the early 90s, when I was lucky enough to own a Neo Geo. That distinctive sound, that pixel-perfect animation, that rush of adrenaline – these moments defined an era of fighting games that seemed lost to time. Until now.
After 25 years of waiting, dreaming, hoping, and losing hope, SNK’s legendary fighting game series is making its triumphant return with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, scheduled for release on April 24, 2025. As someone whose journey through the Fatal Fury saga began with Fatal Fury Special, continued through Fatal Fury 3, and the excellent Real Bout series, this announcement feels personal. I eventually discovered Garou: Mark of the Wolves on the Dreamcast, and to this day, I consider it one of the finest 2D fighting games ever created.
Having felt somewhat let down by recent KOF entries, I approached the announcement of City of the Wolves with cautious optimism. But as more details emerge, my excitement grows exponentially.
SNK isn’t just making another sequel – they’re crafting what appears to be the fiercest challenger to the current master, Street Fighter 6.
Let me show you why.
25 Years in Hibernation, Now the Wolves Are Howling
The return of Fatal Fury represents more than just another entry in the series—it marks a complete reimagining of the franchise for modern gaming. This new chapter arrives 25 years after Garou: Mark of the Wolves, a game that stands as one of the fighting genre’s most remarkable achievements.
Garou served as SNK’s answer to Street Fighter III, showcasing the full potential of Neo Geo hardware and establishing itself as a technical marvel of its era.
Many fighting game enthusiasts, myself included, believe that if SNK had enjoyed greater recognition in the Western market, Garou would be universally acknowledged as equal to Street Fighter III: Third Strike—high praise indeed.
When Classic Meets Crazy: SNK’s Wild New Mechanics
City of the Wolves builds upon Garou’s revolutionary mechanics while introducing a sophisticated suite of new systems that interlock in fascinating ways. At the heart of the combat system lies the Strategic Position Gauge (S.P.G.), a brilliant evolution of Garou’s TOP system.
Players can set their S.P.G. to one of three positions on the health gauge—start, middle, or end. When your remaining health aligns with your chosen position, the S.P.G. becomes “active,” granting increased attack strength, gradual health recovery, and access to powerful REV Blows. This creates compelling strategic decisions: do you place it early for immediate advantage, save it as a comeback mechanic, or position it mid-bar for consistent access?
The defensive mechanics have been significantly expanded from Garou’s foundation. The Just Defense system returns with a modern twist—timing your block perfectly not only prevents Guard Crush damage but also rewards you with health recovery, REV Meter decrease, and guard cancel opportunities. The new Hyper Defense system activates when you input forward at precisely the right moment during multi-hit attacks, offering the same benefits while creating new tactical opportunities.
These systems interlock with an advanced set of mechanics that create unprecedented depth. The special move brake system allows you to cancel certain move animations, reducing recovery time and opening up creative combo possibilities. Meanwhile, the feint system adds layers of mind games, allowing you to fake special moves or reduce normal attack recovery time – a mind game aspect that reminds me of the psychological warfare that made Real Bout so engaging.
The Wild Punish system rewards sharp reactions by granting special combo opportunities when you catch an opponent’s whiffed attack, creating moments of spectacular punishment that feel both fair and satisfying.
After both Just Defense and Hyper Defense, you can interrupt your block status to counter with Special Moves, Ignition Gear, Redline Gear, REV Blow, or Hidden Gear. Guard canceling into Ignition or Redline Gear even speeds up their execution, creating thrilling momentum shifts that remind me of the most exciting moments in classic SNK games.
Old School Spirit, New School Tricks
If all these systems sound overwhelming, don’t worry – SNK has thought of everything. Following Street Fighter 6’s successful example, they’ve implemented modern controls that welcome newcomers while preserving depth for veterans.
As someone who’s been playing fighting games since the Neo Geo days, I naturally gravitate toward classic controls, but I fully understand and support this inclusive approach. The modern control scheme offers enough functionality for casual enjoyment while intentionally omitting certain optimizations, ensuring that mastering the classic control scheme remains rewarding.
The beauty of this approach is that it creates multiple paths to mastery. New players can focus on fundamental strategy and decision-making while gradually learning the more complex mechanics at their own pace.
Meanwhile, veterans can immediately dive into the deep end, exploring all the system mechanics that make City of Wolves such an exciting evolution of the genre.
From Pixels to 3D Pizzazz – A Visual Evolution Worth Howling About
SNK’s decision to transition from 2D to 3D represents perhaps the most ambitious evolution in the series’ history. Under the guidance of legendary animator Masami Obari, City of the Wolves achieves something remarkable: a 3D fighting game that captures the distinctive style and excitement of SNK’s Neo Geo era. We’re witnessing a transformation similar to Street Fighter’s evolution from SF3 to SF4, but with an even more pronounced ‘animated’ style cell shading that surpasses what we’ve seen in recent KOF games.
As someone who cherishes the classic sprite work of the Neo Geo era, I’m genuinely impressed by how well they’ve translated that aesthetic into 3D. Recent trailers show significant improvement over earlier builds, with the removal of motion blur effects that were present in early footage. The attention to detail in preserving character-specific animation traits while embracing modern technology creates a perfect bridge between past and present.
Expansive Single-Player and Online Features
City of the Wolves demonstrates SNK’s understanding that modern fighting games need content beyond traditional arcade modes. The centerpiece of the single-player experience is “Episodes of South Town” (EOST), a focused RPG mode that builds upon the rich storytelling tradition of both Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting series. While not as expansive as Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode with its open-world exploration, EOST takes a more concentrated approach, focusing on character progression and combat mastery. Players face various fight conditions while earning XP and rewards, developing their fighter’s abilities through a skill system that promises to add depth to the single-player experience.
The online infrastructure shows SNK’s commitment to modern fighting game standards. Implementation of rollback netcode and cross-platform functionality puts City of Wolves on par with current genre leaders, promising smooth online battles across different platforms. The standard suite of Ranked Match, Casual Match, and Room Match options provides a solid foundation for competitive play. We hope the online will be as good as the one in SF6, and not as bad as the one in the recent Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.
What sets City of Wolves apart is its innovative Clone Mode, utilizing AI technology to study and replicate player styles. This feature could revolutionize how players practice and improve, offering AI-generated opponents based on real player data. It’s a clever solution to the age-old fighting game challenge of finding consistent training partners, potentially offering more sophisticated practice options than traditional CPU opponents.
The game rounds out its feature set with robust customization options and a thoughtful approach to music. Players can personalize their favorite fighters through various colors, patterns, and gear options unlocked through gameplay. The soundtrack system pays homage to SNK’s legacy, incorporating tracks from both Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting series, complete with playlist customization features that let players curate their own South Town experience.
Post-Launch Support and Future Plans
SNK has outlined an ambitious post-launch strategy including three seasons of downloadable content, with all Season 1 characters being revealed pre-launch. To date, we can confirm the roaster of 13 characters from SNK + Ken and Chun-Li from Capcom.
The inclusion of crossover characters from both SNK and Capcom—featuring fan favorites like Ken and Chun-Li—hints at even more exciting future collaborations, possibly even a Capcom vs. SNK 3 project, a dream matchup for many fans
Looking Ahead
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves represents more than just another fighting game release—it’s the revival of a beloved franchise that pushes the boundaries of what modern fighting games can be. The passion of the development team, combined with their clear respect for the series’ legacy, suggests that this new chapter will be worth the 25-year wait.
SNK has announced an open beta from February 20th to 25th, and you can bet I’ll be there, ready to throw some Power Geysers! As someone who’s followed this series from its earliest days, I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds for Fatal Fury. The wolves are coming back, and they’re hungrier than ever.
More screenshots and video of Fatal Fury : City Of The Wolves here