Controls in Fatal Fury COTW: Arcade vs Smart

Two different control schemes make the game both accessible for beginners and compelling for dedicated fighting games players. In fact, there is nothing too special about the Arcade Controls in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (COTW). This legacy scheme just must be in the game. As for the Smart Controls, having this type is a big step for the developers.

How are Arcade and Smart control types different from each other? Which is better? This Fatal Fury COTW guide explains both Controls and highlights their advantages for various players.

Similarly to earlier Fatal Fury games, City of the Wolves features four main control buttons. They are basic attacks, or Normals.

In addition to this, the game has only one special button: REV Guard. It activates a unique mechanic of Fatal Fury COTW: a flawless block. Players can combine it with Normal buttons for Dodge or Feint (a fake Special).

In the classic Arcade Controls, you perform all Specials and Supers (REV Arts) with directional inputs plus Normals — like quarter-circle forward + a punch for the Power Wave of Terry Bogard.

Smart Controls add extra unique buttons and even change the input for Normals. Still, even the simplified control scheme in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves uses the same control basics.

To perform Normals with the Smart Controls, Fatal Fury players use two attack buttons and simple directional input.

Three basic actions get dedicated buttons in the Fatal Fury COTW Smart Controls. Classically, they are performed with two Normals.

The REV Guard button is universal between two Fatal Fury control schemes.

With the Smart Controls, you can mash one button and your character will do cool Fatal Fury combos.

Depending on your position and available resources, the Smart Combo button activates different Normal, Special, and Super Moves.

Only one button is responsible for Special moves with the Smart Controls. As all characters in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves have a few Specials, you can perform them with the Special Move button plus simple directional input.

For example, Neutral Special is Power Wave for Terry Bogard, but Forward Special is Power Dunk, a totally different move.

With some Specials, you can add a Punch / Kick button to activate a Heavy version of this move.

With the classic control scheme, these super powerful moves are the most difficult to perform. They are simple with Fatal Fury Smart Controls.

Special and Super Moves of each character are listed in the game menu. It is essential to understand what directional inputs are needed to perform different moves.

The classic control scheme in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves uses traditional inputs of such games as Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, and earlier Fatal Fury.

Each Normal has its dedicated button.

To activate other basic techniques, you need to press two Normal buttons at the same time.

The REV Guard button is responsible for the flawless block itself, and it can activate Dodge as well

There is no dedicated button for auto-combos with Arcade-style Controls in Fatal Fury COTW. You need to perform everything manually: from Normals to Specials and REV Arts to maximize damage.

The universal basis for most Specials in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is directional input plus a Normal. 

Charging inputs are also present, like holding down then pressing up + a Kick for Kain’s Schwarze Lanze. All Fatal Fury COTW Arcade Specials are in the character command lists and on the game’s official website. Check them out!

The directional input for Super Moves, or REV Arts in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves may be extremely difficult to perform for beginners. It is especially true if you try to use them as a combo finisher during a fast-paced match — in the place where REV Arts should be.

The patterns for Arcade-style REV Arts include the following.

Thorough practice is needed to add these moves to your active arsenal. However, if you come to Fatal Fury COTW from other fighting games, these inputs are simply natural for you.

The simplified input of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is surprisingly good. The developers follow the steps of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, where each action can be performed simpler than classic quarter-circles. Also, the Smart-style controls remind us of Modern Controls in Street Fighter 6, but with a better division between Light-Heavy Normals.

One substantial downside of the Fatal Fury COTW Smart Controls is accidental input errors. They happen quite often in a fast-paced match, where a character moves around the stage non-stop. You press directional input for movement or to crouch, and then the Special Button doesn’t work as you want. Your projectile may turn into an uppercut, which leaves you wide open for punishment.

Arcade Controls are just perfect in their well-elaborated classic form. It feels really good to do a quarter-circle forward and see a projectile hitting your opponent. After some practice, input errors become rarer and disappear. 

The issue is that training the Arcade input in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves requires time — unless you are a seasoned player. REV Art inputs are especially difficult.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with control types and choose what is better especially for you. Starting with Smart and then learning Arcade may be a good idea if you decide to grow as a player. The trick is not to let yourself settle with the Smart muscle memory. Learn the basics of the game and your character, and then move to train the Arcade style. Playing only on Smart? It’s quite alright if the scheme suits you better!

For all Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves news and updates and everything about fighting games, stick around on esports.gg!