Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Review– A Classic Fighter Returns in 2025

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves brings stylish combat, RPG elements, and quirky guest fighters to a bold new chapter in the series.

0 67 6 minutes read

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves brings back SNK’s legendary fighting game series after more than 25 years. Known for going head-to-head with Street Fighter 2 in the ’90s, Fatal Fury is finally making a big comeback. While SNK kept busy with The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown, fans of the original Fatal Fury have waited a long time for this moment.

Now, City of the Wolves is here to offer a fresh, yet familiar alternative to modern titles like Street Fighter 6. It keeps the core of classic 2D fighting, without complicated systems like Drive Impacts or throw loops. Though it lacks some modern features and its interface could be better, the gameplay is strong where it counts. This four-button fighter focuses on skill, timing, and risk-based approaches, just like the old days—only sharper.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or a new player curious about this iconic series, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is set to revive the spirit of classic arcade battles in 2025.

There are no universal fast dash moves that let you maintain pressure, even if your attack is blocked

While I personally don’t mind a good neutral skip, I really enjoy focusing on the mental strategy of reading the opponent’s moves and reacting to their approach. This makes the characters who can quickly cover distance feel even more unique.

A new feature in City of the Wolves is the Rev Meter, which works similarly to the Drive Meter in Street Fighter 6. However, instead of draining, you build this meter up. Starting at 0%, you can increase it by blocking attacks or using special Rev techniques like EX moves, Rev Guard (which pushes the opponent back and prevents chip damage), and Rev Blows (armored attacks). When the Rev Meter hits 100%, it overheats, making you unable to use Rev techniques until it drops back to zero, which takes some time. While overheated, your guard gauge depletes with each block, and once it’s gone, you’re vulnerable to a free combo from your opponent.

This system adds an interesting layer of meter management, as you need to decide when to use your Rev Meter for big combos. If you push it too far, you risk overheating, but if you hold back, you might not deal enough damage to secure a win.

Why Rev Blows in City of the Wolves Might Need Improvement

Rev Blows in City of the Wolves are the one aspect I’m not fully convinced by. They might remind you of Street Fighter 6’s Drive Impacts, but there are key differences. Like Drive Impacts, Rev Blows can break through an opponent’s attacks to land a strong hit. However, unlike Drive Impacts, they only lead to a full combo when used as a counter, not just when absorbing damage. Even without a counter, they still deal good damage, are safe on block, and cost only 17% of your Rev Meter, making them easy to use frequently, especially if your opponent doesn’t know how to counter them—something the game doesn’t explain in its tutorials.

The greatest way to counter a Rev Blow is to utilize your own Rev Blow which can make a big difference. But only during Selective Potential Gear (SPG), a buff that triggers at a particular health range (start, middle, or end), can Rev Blows be used. Deciding when your SPG activates is crucial, but if your opponent’s SPG is active early and yours isn’t, you’ll lack your best defense until you lose significant health. Other counter options, like throws and dodge attacks, are less effective than using a Rev Blow.

At higher levels, skilled players can cancel dodge attacks with a feint for full combos, but this requires precise timing and is harder to do at lower levels, where Rev Blows can feel overpowered with few counters.

Despite this issue, the fighting in City of the Wolves is excellent. The combo system is flexible offering both simple, consistent damage and more complex combos for higher rewards.

Balanced Offense and Defense in City of the Wolves

City of the Wolves offers a great balance of offensive and defensive options, making it hard to fall into predictable patterns. On wake-up, you can roll forward or backward, and there’s throw invulnerability to avoid throw loops. Well-timed just defenses or hyper defenses give you the chance to guard cancel and punish attacks that are normally hard to counter. It all feels smooth and rewarding.

A Diverse Roster in City of the Wolves

At launch, City of the Wolves features a solid roster of 17 characters, including most of the original Mark of the Wolves cast along with four new fighters. Two standout newcomers, Preecha and Vox Reaper, bring exciting gameplay. Preecha, a Muay Thai scientist, is easy to pick up with flashy combos and a versatile skill set. Vox Reaper is a fast, rushdown character, lacking a projectile but making up for it with lightning speed, tricky divekicks, and a neutral-skipping dash attack.

I’ve been spending the most time with Terry and Hokutomaru. Terry is familiar from other games, while Hokutomaru offers a variety of approach options. He can double jump, teleport in the air, and use Akuma-like air projectiles to mix up his jump and keep opponents guessing.

Guest Characters: Ronaldo and Ganacci

The guest characters in City of the Wolves are interesting additions. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and DJ Salvatore Ganacci both bring unique mechanics. Ronaldo uses soccer techniques for normal attacks and can summon a soccer ball with a special move. This leads to wild setups where you must predict where the ball and Ronaldo’s attack will land, adding a fun twist to the gameplay.

Guest Characters and Single-Player Features in City of the Wolves

Salvatore Ganacci is mostly a joke character in City of the Wolves. His moves are based on his music videos and DJ style, so they’re fun to watch. Some of his attacks are slow and awkward, but they hit hard even without using much energy. Still, both Salvatore and Cristiano Ronaldo feel out of place in the Fatal Fury world. Salvatore has a story in the game’s Arcade and Episodes of South Town modes, but Ronaldo doesn’t appear in either. Their designs are also plain compared to other characters like B. Jenet or Kain. They would’ve been better as extra downloadable content (DLC) instead of being part of the main roster.

City of the Wolves has decent single-player content. The Arcade mode is simple but gives you an intro, a rival fight, and an ending for each character. It’s a nice way to learn a bit about the characters and their stories.

The main single-player mode is Episodes of South Town, which plays like a light RPG. You pick battles from a map, gain experience, and unlock new skills. It gives each character a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. Some battles add unique twists, like facing multiple enemies or enemies with special defenses.

One weak point is the tutorial. It explains the basics but skips over advanced techniques like Feints, Brakes, and how to block Rev Blows. These are important, but the game doesn’t teach them well, which can confuse new players.

For online play, the game uses rollback netcode, which is important for smooth matches. Most matches work well, but some have lag or delays. The netcode is okay, but it could be improved for a better online experience.

Online Play and Menu Navigation

Online play in City of the Wolves is generally smooth and enjoyable. The game offers all the usual match options: ranked, casual, room matches, and a replay theater to watch both your own and public replays. However, the UI for navigating these menus is a bit disappointing. The room match menu, in particular, is clunky, requiring you to control it with a slow-moving mouse cursor, and it has a design that feels more like an Excel sheet or PowerPoint presentation. While this doesn’t affect gameplay and the lobby functions as expected, it’s a bit surprising given how stylish the game is once you’re in a match.

Pros and Cons of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves:

Pros	Cons
Fun, skill-based combat.	Rev Blows can be overpowered and hard to counter.
Balanced offense and defense mechanics.	Tutorial doesn’t cover advanced techniques.
Diverse roster of 17 characters.	Guest characters feel out of place.
New Rev Meter adds strategy.	Menu navigation is clunky and slow.
Enjoyable Arcade and Episodes of South Town modes.	Online play can have input lag.
Solid rollback netcode for online play.	Few counter options for Rev Blows.
Flexible combo system for all skill levels.	Guest characters have basic designs.

Conclusion

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves shines in the core elements of a fighting game. Its combat system is a fresh take on the classic SNK style, offering a unique alternative to Street Fighter 6. The roster of 17 characters is diverse and engaging, even with the odd choice of two real-life guest characters. The netcode, though not perfect, is still quite solid. While the game’s teaching tools and menu UI feel outdated, the overall experience is a strong return to the fighting game world after a 25-year break.