Review: FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves welcomes generations old and new

After 26 years, the iconic FATAL FURY franchise returns with FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves. As the sequel to Garou: Mark of the Wolves, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves honors the past while kicking off a new chapter for both old-school fans and rising stars. Here's what players can expect from this title.

At the launch of its early access, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves features 17 fighters. These include nostalgic ones such as Terry Bogard and Rock Howard. The latter character was raised by Terry, and the game's tutorial showcases this relationship as Terry teaches Rock the ropes.

These lessons cover the essentials, like how to use the new REV System, which includes features such as REV Arts, REV Accel, REV Guard, and Rev Blows. Rev Blows, for example, are powerful strikes that block enemy attacks. Just remember that REV actions like these fill up the REV Meter.

The tutorial also allows plenty of time for players to go into their button configurations and customize their controls, making the experience feel more accessible right from the start. Overall, it's a good place to learn the basic mechanics, and resources such as official YouTube videos can provide more depth for characters beyond Rock.

Speaking of accessibility, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves caters to both new players and seasoned fighters with its two control schemes. These pertain to Arcade Style and Smart Style. Arcade Style requires specific technical inputs that give veterans a more traditional experience. Meanwhile, Smart Style simplifies inputs and makes the game more approachable for newcomers while still allowing them to pull off flashy moves and combos.

As noted, in addition to Terry and Rock, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves has a diverse and colorful roster. Classics like Mai Shiranui and Hotaru Futaba return while new faces like the beginner-friendly Preecha and the unexpected addition of DJ Salvatore Ganacci bring a fresh vibe to the lineup.

Before a match, players can customize their chosen fighter's costume before deciding on their Selective Potential Gear (S.P.G.) timing and one of the aforementioned control schemes. The color customizations are a bit limited, but those who pre-purchased the game received the FATAL FURY 2 Terry costume.

Each character can duke it out Ranked Match, Casual Match, Room Match, and so on. Room Match, for example, lets players customize online rooms to test out moves without risking their ranking. These matches allow up to 12 players in total. Arcade Mode and Episodes of South Town are also worthy to check out. Each mode that involves fighting encourages players to be deliberate and strategic.

Episodes of South Town is where the game shines when it comes to solo adventuring. For example, a player can choose a fighter to level up and customize their kit by duking out against others while going through that fighter's storyline. Players can also accept quests, select who they'd like to face in South Town, unlock new areas, and enjoy some banter. In our run, we followed Preecha's journey. While we cannot reveal spoilers for her story, reading the dialogue is a change of pace that adds extra charm between the game's punches, kicks, and combos.

Meanwhile, Arcade Mode trims the reading yet still gives each character their moment. As previously revealed by SNK Corporation, Preecha is a scientist whose world got turned upside down by a fighter who could summon hurricanes. She then became Joe Higashi's student and later ventured out to discover more of the world's mysteries and new techniques. Players duke it out against other characters to unlock more cutscenes featuring Preecha's adventures in South Town.

It should be noted that Cristiano Ronaldo is in neither of these modes in our review copy. He's not in Color Edit Mode, either. Prior to the start of the FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves early access, the SNK Corporation also made an official announcement about the footballer's absence.

Visually, the game leans into a bold style inspired by American comic books. It also has an anime twist in what FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves director Hayato Konya calls "Japanimation." Stage variety also adds to the overall aesthetic, and the game has 19 stages at the launch of its early access.

As another visual bonus, for those who like a certain character, they can customize them a bit and have them appear on Episodes of South Town's home screen. Of course, for players who enjoy certain tracks, they can visit Jukebox Mode.

That's all for now. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves early access is now underway. Then, the game arrives for everyone on April 24. Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.