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The release of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves marks a significant moment in the fighting game landscape. While many contemporary titles emphasize aggressive gameplay, this installment distinguishes itself with a unique emphasis on defensive strategies. Unfortunately, a few limitations hinder its potential to achieve greatness.
As SNK Corporation’s latest effort to compete with genre giants like Street Fighter and Tekken, City of the Wolves largely succeeds. It stands as one of the more notable fighting games currently available, though some drawbacks remain that prevent it from fully realizing its potential.
Screenshots of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
What is Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves About?
Gamers who may not have experienced the original Garou: Mark of the Wolves are still able to enjoy this sequel without feeling lost. While familiarity with the backstory enhances the experience, the game provides enough narrative context to bring new players up to speed.
The plot serves primarily as a backdrop, narrated through brief character exchanges or text dialogues within the Episodes of South Town mode. Players engage in battles that often feel repetitive, predominantly against tertiary characters, to accumulate experience and level up.
Despite the grind of leveling up, it helps players familiarize themselves with central mechanics, such as the S.P.G. gauge utilized throughout the game.
While the characters’ motivations for fighting are somewhat superficial, they pave the way for dynamic interactions. The localization suffers from a few grammatical issues, giving the impression that less attention was paid to the storytelling compared to other game aspects.
Nevertheless, for players primarily interested in battling online, the story’s progression offers minimal distractions, as it functions more as an additional layer rather than the main draw.
Visually, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves possesses a distinct flair. Although it may not have the expansive production values of titles like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8, it compensates with its appealing cell-shaded graphics, discrete character designs, an engaging soundtrack, impactful hit effects, and fluid animations.
The Best Offense is a Good Defense
Recent trends in fighting games have tilted heavily toward offensive strategies. Innovations such as the Drive Rush and Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6 or the Heat system in Tekken 8 have made aggressive tactics increasingly prominent, leading to fast-paced, high-stakes gameplay.
However, this offensive focus has its pitfalls. When aggressive maneuvers dominate, defensive approaches can often be overlooked, undermining their importance. Prioritizing offense can lead to situations where players quickly find themselves at a disadvantage, as seen in titles like Tekken 8.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves addresses this trend by rewarding defensive play, offering a more strategic and skill-driven experience than many of its peers. Players must hone their skills to counter opponents effectively, making patience and intelligence key factors in achieving victory.
Character diversity is also a strong point. Each fighter possesses unique strengths and weaknesses, with beta testing helping to balance previously overpowered characters. Thus, no single character seems overwhelmingly dominant, enhancing the competitive environment.
Players seeking rapid combos and agile movement might favor characters like Hotaru, Dong Hwan, and Hokutomaru, while those who thrive on deliberate, powerful hits will gravitate toward Kevin, Vox Reaper, and Marco. The game features an array of archetypes catering to diverse playstyles.
Unique guest characters like Salvatore Ganacci and Cristiano Ronaldo add further intrigue. Ronaldo, notably complex to master, incorporates an unusual ball-based poking mechanic. In contrast, Salvatore brings significant personality to his gameplay style, showcasing entertaining movements that might not translate to the strongest performance in the game.
With its defensive orientation and intricate gameplay, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves stands out. Yet, this focus presents a notable challenge—providing sufficient support for newcomers to the fighting game genre.
A Game Created With the FGC in Mind – For Better and Worse
One significant drawback of Fatal Fury is its uninviting nature for new players. It lacks robust resources that could assist those unfamiliar with the genre or seeking to improve their skills in competitive contexts.
Many of the fundamental combos in City of the Wolves entail precise inputs executed within tight timing windows, presenting a steep learning curve.
Furthermore, the training modes fall short, offering merely a visual preview of successful combo execution without substantial guidance to help players struggling with intricate mechanics.
While a “Smart” input option exists, its limitations can frustrate players by oversimplifying controls and restricting move options, making it an inadequate solution for learning.
Additionally, controller preference plays a more critical role in City of the Wolves than in many other titles. Thus, players may find themselves favoring leverless controllers for optimal gameplay experiences.
In essence, while Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves appears tailored for seasoned fighting game veterans who have a fondness for intricate strategies, it falls short in adequately supporting newcomers trying to navigate the learning curve.
Verdict
For those anticipating Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves to serve as a nostalgic nod to the glory days of fighting games, it transcends those expectations—it emerges as a heartfelt homage to the genre.
However, this comes with a caveat: mastering the game demands considerable time and effort, which may deter less patient players.
If you’re a newcomer to fighting games, City of the Wolves might not be your best option. Yet, for seasoned players, it offers an aesthetically compelling experience, a robust gameplay feel, and significant depth in skill development. It exemplifies excellent game design, though it may not readily accommodate those just beginning their fighting game journey.
Source
www.dexerto.com