Fatal Fury City of the Wolves: The Return of Vintage SNK from the NeoGeo Era

The Summer Game Fest 2024 provided SNK with the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles to officially present the highly anticipated Fatal Fury City of the Wolves, a reboot/sequel of Garou Mark of the Wolves, one of the best fighting games ever created to this day. If PlayersForLife hadn’t been in Los Angeles this year, they were still able to receive an update from SNK, who detailed the combat system of their game, promising it to be ultra-comprehensive and ultra-complex. Those who believe SNK would follow the trend of simplified controls for beginners clearly do not know the inventor of the NeoGeo… And yes, like FromSoftware games, the more challenging the gameplay is, the more rewarding it becomes.

REV PARTY

There is also the REV Guard, a more advanced defensive technique. To use it effectively, you need to hold R1, which allows for greater distance between you and your opponent compared to a standard block. However, REV Guard negates minor damage from certain attacks, such as fireballs that are successfully blocked. By holding R1, you cancel the damage and gradually fill up the REV Meter displayed at the bottom of the screen next to the fighters. This REV Meter is crucial for determining your character’s performance quality. It functions similarly to a car engine constantly running; the more attacks you throw, the faster this meter fills. Conversely, if you hit your opponent or successfully parry certain moves, you decrease the REV Meter. Balancing these actions is essential to maintain the meter, as once it reaches its limit, your character will be in Overheat mode, similar to a car engine overheating. In Overheat mode, your character will be surrounded by a red halo, making them slower and more vulnerable to attacks even when defending, and most importantly, preventing you from using any REV options. This Overheat acts as a cooldown period during which the REV Meter gradually recovers over time or when you launch specific types of successful attacks.

And then there is the REV Accel, which functions similarly to the Drive Cancel in KOF 13 or the Drive Rush in Street Fighter 6. It allows players to chain REV Arts together and can be activated immediately after a REV Blow. Additionally, Fatal Fury City of the Wolves reintroduces the well-known Just Defended feature from Garou: Mark of the Wolves, which was released in 1999. This involves timing a block perfectly at the exact moment an attack lands. Successfully performing a Just Defense grants advantageous effects such as minor health recovery, reduction in the REV Meter, and the capability to perform a Guard Cancel. In the game, this is visually indicated by a prominent turquoise protective circle. SNK could have chosen a less noticeable representation for this feature…

However, there is something beyond the Just Defended, known as the Hyper Defended, which is an even more advanced mechanic requiring frame-perfect self-protection while moving towards the opponent during their multi-hit attacks. This allows for precise blocking and offers similar advantages to those of a successful Just Defended maneuver. On-screen, it is not indicated by a blue-turquoise protective circle but rather by a dark blue notification that reads “Hyper Defended.” I anticipate this will be incredibly challenging to execute in the heat of battle.

To further complicate matters, SNK has introduced additional mechanics such as Guard Cancel, which we are beginning to memorize thoroughly, and Braking, a term that accurately translates to “braking” in French. Braking reduces the recovery time of special moves by canceling or braking the animation of certain special moves to create more combo opportunities or transition directly into different special attacks. This is extremely complex, and realistically, only professional gamers will be able to utilize this feature effectively without errors during full matches. Not only must players manage these mechanics, but they also need to think strategically about them.

The gameplay of Fatal Fury City of the Wolves pays homage to the original Garou Mark of the Wolves from 1999, and it is evident that SNK did not want to miss this opportunity for a comeback. The Osaka firm has clearly done everything possible to ensure each game element reaches the excellence level of its time. Visually, we finally see a 3D SNK game with style, proudly showcasing close-ups of characters. Although we have not reached the quality of Mortal Kombat 1 or Tekken 8, this is undoubtedly the most visually appealing and enjoyable SNK game to look at since they stopped developing in 2D. We observed significant progress with Samurai Shodown in 2019, but now we have surpassed that level. The 3D models are clean, animations are smooth, and the sketch effect works well. Most importantly, the staging is dynamic, with the camera positioned closer to characters. Each hit dealt or received is accompanied by a shaky-cam effect, and there are even large zooms added during certain moments to enhance attacks, reminiscent of old Art of Fighting productions. Effects abound, things explode, it’s fluid and runs at hyper-speed, maintaining 60 frames per second throughout. This game is set to be an exhilarating experience.

Many players from the 1990s eagerly anticipated the return of SNK, the company that set standards for exceptional arcade games. Despite failing to transition effectively into 3D gaming in the early 2000s, SNK persisted and gradually recovered through a series of trial and error efforts. “King of Fighters XIV” in 2016 was a preliminary attempt, but “Samurai Shodown” three years later demonstrated significant progress. The release of “King of Fighters XV” in 2022 confirmed the resurgence of SNK’s classic fighting spirit, although visual polish remained an area for improvement. “Fatal Fury City of the Wolves,” announced during Summer Game Fest 2024 as a reboot/sequel to the critically acclaimed 1999 game “Garou: Mark of the Wolves,” hasn’t yet reached the visual quality of contemporaries like Street Fighter VI or Mortal Kombat 1, but SNK has acknowledged the importance of aesthetic refinement alongside gameplay mechanics. One aspect that SNK, known for its NeoGeo heritage,始终坚持不变的是保留其战斗系统。在2025年的《怒发2》中，不会有简单的入门模式；要精通它，必须学习和付出努力，就像FromSoftware的作品一样。请注意。为了保持一致性并准确翻译最后部分：However, one thing SNK, the originator of NeoGeo, has never compromised on is preserving its combat systems. There will be no easy mode for beginners in this Fatal Fury 2025; to master it, one must learn and perspire, much like FromSoftware’s productions. You have been warned.