In the world of fighting games—an area where the community’s attention often pivots as soon as a new release arrives—some titles manage to rise above the rest and keep a near-mythic reputation. Games such as Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, and Capcom Vs. SNK 2 have sustained lively followings for more than two decades after launch, and they’re still held in high regard by players today. Then there’s one more entry that carries an especially legendary reputation: SNK’s 1999 classic, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. It functioned as a soft reboot of the Fatal Fury series, and it also turned out to be the last game in that run, since SNK chose to put its energy into The King of Fighters as its leading fighting-game franchise.
For years, I’ve been hoping for a sequel to Mark of the Wolves—a project that was supposedly close to being completed before SNK hit bankruptcy in 2001. Every time EVO rolled around and SNK brought out another big reveal, I’d watch the news land on Samurai Shodown or King of Fighters instead (both are fantastic, to be fair), and I’d end up disappointed. SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda, who’s also been involved with KOF and Samurai Shodown, has said he’s wanted to revisit the game for a long time, even noting in 2022 that he “returned to SNK to finish Garou.” That goal finally came to life at EVO later that same year, when Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was formally announced.
After more trailers throughout 2023, plus its first hands-on showing at EVO Japan earlier this year, City of the Wolves was confirmed to be part of Summer Game Fest. So when I learned I’d be attending the event this year, I quickly booked my first slot to finally get hands-on with the fighting game I’ve wanted for 25 years. (Yes, I only played Garou for the first time about six years ago—but it’s more dramatic to frame it that way.) After getting to play, I can honestly say: hot damn, they nailed it.
Right after the demo, I got the chance to talk with Yasuyuki Oda, Art Supervisor Nobuyuki Kuroki, and SNK Producer Joshua Weatherford. Naturally, my first question was, “What caused the delay?” Even with the major changes SNK went through during the years since the last release—including the bankruptcy mentioned earlier—it doesn’t sound like there was any outside obstacle stopping another Fatal Fury from moving forward. It seems it was simply a matter of waiting for the right moment.
After Garou released, both creators moved on to another fighting game studio, Dimps. Oda then took part in another revival for the genre with Street Fighter 4, a game often credited with bringing fresh attention back to fighting games. “From that point, the focus was definitely KOF and also rejuvenating other IPs like Samurai Shodown, while creating other titles – like SNK Heroines – and essentially enhancing our experience from there,” Oda explains. “Fatal Fury’s time finally arrived to be the next title to be resurrected.”
Even the most direct sequels can feel surprisingly different from what came before, and while City of the Wolves does bring its own refinements, I found it easy to step in and immediately play as Terry Bogard, like it had always been second nature. For players who aren’t as steeped in fighting games, though, SNK has also added a Smart Style option, echoing the simplified control approaches you’ll find in other modern titles.
City of the Wolves keeps the core qualities that made the original such an enduring classic. It’s quick, the impacts land with satisfying heft, and the excellent T.O.P system—a feature that lets players choose a specific third of their health bar, unlocking certain moves when their vitality reaches that threshold—returns in the form of the S.P.G. system, now expanded to include aerial attacks.
Making a sequel to a fighting game is intimidating for everyone involved, but especially so when that game is beloved. I can only imagine how much that pressure multiplies. Kuroki feels the same way. A long-time SNK veteran, he worked on Real Bout Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, but when he came back to the company and helped develop King of Fighters 14 and Samurai Shodown—projects he hadn’t previously worked on—he viewed it as “more of a fresh experience, which didn’t carry that personal pressure.” Still, a Garou follow-up comes with its own sense of obligation. As Weatherford put it, “He’s the one that goes out to events and frequently gets asked, ‘what’s going to happen with Fatal Fury? What’s happening with the Garou sequel?'”
On top of that, fighting games are in something of a revival right now. In the past few years alone, we’ve seen Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear Strive (Mortal Kombat 1 too—but not every release can be a winner). I asked whether that kind of “competition” adds extra pressure, but the team doesn’t see it that way. “It just means more fans of the genre overall,” Weatherford said, adding, “we’re very confident in our quality for sure… we always consider it as a rising tide lifts all boats kind of situation.”
And speaking of Street Fighter 6, we also heard that the Street Fighter series is introducing its very first guest characters in a mainline installment—none other than Fatal Fury’s Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui. After reacting to the announcement, I had the obvious follow-up: is SNK planning to reciprocate with guest appearances in City of the Wolves? “We’re always open to exploring that, and we genuinely enjoy integrating characters from other franchises into our universe,” Oda replied, keeping things noncommittal.
The roster in City of the Wolves looks every bit as strong as before. I got to spend some time with Terry, Rock Howard, and Marco Rodrigues (you may know him better as “Butt” from the original game), plus two newcomers—Preecha and Vox Reaper. As I mentioned, the classic fighters feel faithful, which makes it simple to jump right back in. Honestly, I may end up swapping to Marco as my main—he’s genuinely excellent in this release.
The added characters also blend in smoothly. Preecha’s approach pays tribute to Joe while still carving out her own place in the series—much like Street Fighter 6’s Lily translated T.Hawk’s moveset into a more modern presentation. Vox Reaper, meanwhile (Grant’s protégé and the Garou antagonist), reintroduces some of that older bite. It brings to mind a Linkin Park anime AMV your best friend might pass around in computer class, complete with callback-style lines echoing Shadow the Hedgehog and the well-worn “teleport behind you” technique that every self-described edgy character seems to need. I’m kidding—but I truly do like Vox Reaper.
City of the Wolves is also expected to bring back a handful of classic Fatal Fury characters who weren’t included in Garou’s almost-total roster refresh—like Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi, whose return has been teased. Naturally, I had to ask whether that might also open the door for Geese Howard (long gone in the Fatal Fury timeline). Both of them sounded excited about the possibility of his return, while also stressing that they’d need to build a narrative that can support it. I floated the idea of Robot Geese, and it was met with polite laughter—so fingers crossed that concept could go somewhere.
A major talking point around recent SNK games has been their visual presentation, and while City of the Wolves may not measure up to the likes of Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8, it’s clear we’re a notch above The King of Fighters 14. Kuroki explained that there have “always been a few areas that didn’t meet their quality benchmarks.” I was told that defining a distinct visual identity was a priority from the very beginning, with the game adopting an American comic-style shader (which they noted was one of the biggest challenges early on). Still, this is something I’m not fully sold on—not because it looks bad, but because the approach doesn’t feel consistently used beyond the super animations. I’d rather see the game commit to it more fully, since it can feel a bit distracting when it shows up.
At the end of the day, we’re still a bit away from the “early 2025” release window for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, so it’s tough to give a final, concrete verdict. Even so, SNK seems to be making the right moves with this sequel. The team appears to understand what made the original so beloved, with Rollback Netcode and Crossplay already confirmed (their absence hurt my enjoyment of Samurai Shodown 2019). Most of all, it’s just a lot of fun to play. For fans of fighting games, it’s been a great stretch lately, and SNK might be set to add another standout to the lineup.