SNK Brings ‘Fatal Fury’ Back To Life With First New Game In 26 Years
In a bold move that will end the drought of true arcade fighting games, SNK is returning to its roots 26 years later with a revival of the Fatal Fury series. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is set to release on April 24th, 2025, bringing Rock Howard, Terry Bogard, and others, with a modern twist to the overall experience.
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For those unfamiliar, SNK’s Fatal Fury series first launched in 1991 with the Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, boarding on the train of the peak arcade fighting game era. Released on the Neo Geo system, the game was compared to Street Fighter II (and how could it not when Takashi Nishiyama, the creator of the original Street Fighter, was the lead designer), but stood out with its two-lane battle system.
The success of the first entry spawned a fighting game series that became a staple of the genre throughout the decade. The releases, Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory, are just some of the titles, but the IP has become so much more, inspiring spin-offs, crossovers with other arcade fighters such as Capcom, and even anime adaptations.
Unfortunately, the last entry, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, was the first of the Wolves sub-series and the last of the 2D Fatal Fury era, released in 1999. And now, 26 years later, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be the new 2.5D Fatal Fury game, continuing the legacy of the eponymous arcade.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will feature some of the fan-favorite fighters in addition to series standard, Terry Bogard and his protégé, Rock Howard, including Billy Kane, Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui, but also some newcomers, Ken Masters and Vox Reaper among others.
While SNK will introduce new gameplay mechanics to City of the Wolves, they have done everything not to trash the legacy of its predecessor, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. That said, instead of the T.O.P. system seen in the previous entry, the new system is now called the S.P.G. and will let players choose sections of the character’s health bar that then lets players activate powerful effects.
Furthermore, the new REV System is at the core of the battle, which gives players a whole new dimension with its REV Arts and REV Guard that build up the REV Meter. REV Arts are a part of the offense as they improve special moves, while REV Guard makes blocking easier. All these fill up the said REV Meter, and once full, players won’t be able to use the REV system until the meter is reduced.
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The new entry will embrace the advantages of modern hardware, updating character designs and overall visuals, yet another highlight of the series’ evolution.
In making the upcoming Fatal Fury game accessible to a new generation of players, SNK will let players choose between two control schemes. Arcade Style is a traditional take made for veteran players, while Smart Style will offer simplified controls for newcomers.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will launch on April 24, 2025, for PC, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X/S, with a base price of $59.99. The price includes Season Pass 1, featuring five DLC characters, including Ken and Chun-Li from Street Fighter. Those who decide to pre-order it will be able to jump into the action three days earlier, starting April 21st, and will get a Terry Bogard’s classic Fatal Fury 2 costume.
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