Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
The SNK World Championship took place over the weekend with the top King of Fighters 15 players gathering in Los Angeles to battle for supremacy. While the competition played out on stage, SNK was also holding private early demos for the publisher's next big fighting game, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. This is a big title for SNK, marking the Fatal Fury franchise's first official title released in the 21st century. Shacknews was among those invited to take a first look.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves boasts a striking new art style. Beautifully animated stages complement more sharply illustrated characters that stand out with a more defined cel-shaded look. A handful of returning characters are ready to butt heads again, along with some newcomers. These characters include:
City of the Wolves promises to bring back a number of classic Fatal Fury mechanics. Just Defense, for example, rewards players who manage to block at the moment of impact, allowing them an opening to strike. Combined with Hyper Defense (which can create distance from perfectly-timed parries), players can respond with a variety of different moves. It's also possible to keep opponents on their toes by using a two-button combo to feint specials and get them to drop their guard. S.P.G. (Selective Potential Gear) gives fighters a boost for as long as it's active and can be positioned in either the start, middle, or end of a fighter's health bar.
As for what's new, City of the Wolves introduces the new REV system. This mainly centers on a meter placed in the bottom corner, which opens the door for a variety of offensive and defensive mechanics. REV Arts, for example, work similarly to Street Fighter's EX moves, allowing players to hit a souped-up (or slightly different) version of a special move by completing it with both punch or kick buttons. REV Arts moves can also be combined to flow into a string of moves known as REV Accel. REV Guard is executed with the shoulder button and puts distance between fighters after blocking an attack. Lastly, there's REV Blow, which can only be used when S.P.G. is active. REV Blow takes priority over most incoming attacks, essentially canceling out the incoming blow and delivering a powerful attack. The REV Blow attack can also be used as a combo finisher on its own.
There's a lot that the REV Meter, but players must be wary not to abuse it. The REV Meter can be overheated after overusing REV mechanics. If fighters keep up the pressure on an overheated opponent, they can drive them into a Guard Crush state and leave them with a longer hit recovery time.
The last thing to note is that SNK has seen where the winds are blowing with fighting games. The classic Arcade Style controls are returning as the default way to play. However, City of the Wolves is also adding a new Smart Style that assigns each button an action. This is being implemented partially as a way for SNK to welcome in players who are familiar with Terry through his Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cameo.
SNK hopes to have Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ready to release in early 2025. However, the team is still in the process of taking feedback. With that goal in mind, the first public demo will be available at EVO Japan from April 27-29. A demo coming to EVO in Las Vegas isn't necessarily guaranteed, but something worth keeping an eye on.
This preview is based on a private demo played on-site at the SNK World Championship in Los Angeles. The final product is subject to change.