When it comes to SNK fighting games these days, most fans will think ofThe King of Fighters- possibly followed by the recently revitalizedSamurai Shodown.
But SNK has a storied history in the genre brimming with excellent titles, starting withFatal Fury. It’s been around twenty-five years since the last Fatal Fury - Mark of the Wolves - was released. So, when SNK announced that a direct sequel to the beloved Mark of the Wolves was in development, I felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
Does SNK still have what it takes to make another game as good as the masterpiece that is Mark of the Wolves? I hate to be anti-climactic, but the answer is a resounding yes.
I recently had a chance to play City of the Wolves during the SNK World Championships [on location] and was immediately stunned by the leaps SNK has taken with its newest foray. For those unfamiliar, SNK has been engaging in a bit of a rebuild over the last decade that started in earnest with King of Fighters 14. It’s obvious that the studio has been very deliberate in how it has budgeted its recent titles. Each game released over this period of time has felt like a step forward visually, though SNK has consistently felt a few years behind the competition.
City of the Wolves is the culmination of everything SNK has been working toward and is visually and mechanically striking in ways its more recent games haven’t managed to be. Its emphasis on shading gives it a ‘90s comic book aesthetic. The super move flashes are bold and pop with color. It is an aesthetic that is equal parts flashy and confident. Which is precisely what City of the Wolves is going for.
The version of the game I played didn’t feature any single-player content, and despite my attempts to glean more information, director Hayato Konya remained tight-lipped on the subject.
City of the Wolves is loaded with mechanics. It introduces the new ‘REV’ system, which unifies a bunch of systems under one umbrella. There are chain combos that allow you to string certain normals together, you have the ability to “break” certain special moves, canceling them partway through their animations, Just Defends are back (a system that rewards you for blocking the moment before an attack lands), as is the S.P.G system (where you can choose a section of your health bar and once you enter into said section you will become empowered). On top of all of that, City of the Wolves also adds its own version of EX attacks. Even with all this, I promise I’m only scratching the surface. There is an alarming amount of old and new mechanics at play. Veterans will immediately feel at home with a number of them, but there is plenty new to keep them on their toes as well.
For players who aren’t as acclimated to those tricky fighting game commands, it is worth mentioning that City of the Wolves has a simple input system that is similar to the ones found in Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.
It isn’t just new mechanics, either. Returning characters have been given a similar amount of love. Tizoc does all the classic Tizoc stuff, but they’ve also given him new moves to help round out his kit, including a pretty slimy lunging grab that should keep all the grappler-brained rock eaters out there smiling. From what I’ve played, that seems to be the case for all of the returning cast (though, being a rock eater myself, I did give Tizoc the majority of my attention). Everything you loved about them in the previous game appears to still be intact but is typically better, and they have new stuff to play around with as well.
As for the newly introduced Muay Thai practitioner Preecha, she’s a refreshing addition to the roster. She comes rocking a projectile that has a very non-standard arc, bouncing around the arena before staying in place and becoming an obstacle, as well as a command backdash with follow-up attacks (such as an overhead elbow, or a lunging knee). She’s uniquely positioned to control space and be a nuisance to her opponents. Like every other member of the roster I played around with, she felt great.
That’s the thing, though; everything felt great. I found myself smiling throughout my limited time playing City of the Wolves. Despite there being so many moving pieces, I never felt lost. Probably because I was just too busy having fun.
In the end, when SNK was closing up shop at the event, I had to be politely asked to wrap up my final match. I left my preview session buzzing with energy. It really feels like they have done it. They’ve managed to capture the same spirit of Mark of the Wolves. SNK has been back for a while now, but with City of the Wolves, they are back with a vengeance.
