It’s been a while since the ground-breaking fighting game series Fatal Fury has received a suitable fresh installment. Yes, figures from the Fatal Fury series have been used in various video games, but Garou: Mark of the Wolves, the next true Fatal Fury game, first aired on arcades in 1999. 25 years later, the Legendary Wolves are back in action in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, prepared to attract a new era of gamers who have long watched tie-up plots dangling for decades. To get a close-up glance at Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, we sat down with producer Hayato Konya and art producer Yoichiro Soeda to explain the show’s growth, the new and returning eyes, and what makes it special.
Fatal Fury is one of the early adopters of the battle game style. The original film followed military artists Joe Higashi and Terry and Andy Bogard as they sought retribution for their paternal father’s passing. It placed a premium on both the history and the acting, with the final scene of the stunning climactic scene in which the bad guy Geese Howard perishes from a skyscraper. From that point on, Fatal Fury’s game would evolve considerably. However, the emphasis on fashionable and wonderful characters, action-film-inspired stories, and its radiant Southtown setting may continue.
” In the very beginning, we had the idea where Fatal Fury was like a video, where the characters had to function up to fight the great villain”, Soeda said. ” It was popular, and players wanted more, so we kept expanding with each game. At one point, Terry takes on Geese’s child Rock as his son. At the time, we did n’t know where that would lead”.
Eventually, however, Rock became the new face of Fatal Fury.
One of City of the Wolves ‘ most striking features is its bold, vibrant art style. Both veteran players and new players would enjoy the visuals, which were intended to evoke both Japanese and American comic art.
” We wanted the characters to really’ pop’ and be striking. We thought American comic books do that well, and we wanted to emulate that”, Soeda said. ” Fatal Fury has a traditional anime-style aesthetic. We felt that, for the modern audience, the blending of those two things would work well for the game. Now we have it, and it looks great”.
The Rev Gauge, a special meter that is integrated with new mechanics that allow for new attacks and movement patterns, is one of the newest additions to City of the Wolves ‘ gameplay. Explosive damage can be done by using Rev-boosted skills like Rev Accel and powered-up Rev Arts special moves to combine damaging attacks. However, there is a risk of getting too much Rev and becoming too tired overheat.
” We want to give people the ability to use super moves, but not limit them to a single gauge”, explains Konya. ” So, we have two different bars, making it a lot easier. Originally, there was no Rev Gauge–just a power gauge. The idea came from Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, where you had a Heat gauge. We upgraded and made the interface more attractive and user-friendly.
Fans are eagerly awaited character reveal reveal both of the familiar faces and the new ones. One such example is the recent re-introduction of a long-awaited fan favorite character Mai Shiranui, who has a new appearance. Even the new characters have ties to the well-known ones: Joe Higashi, the original hero, is a disciple of the spunky young martial artist Preecha.
” Garou left us with a lot of homework”, says Konya. ” What happened with Hotaru and her brother? What’s going on with Kain and Rock? We want to make sure that all of those things have been tied up and that those stories are told to be finished. So we still have a lot of work to do.
SNK games have a history of juggling gameplay and narrative, with story events having an impact on characters ‘ abilities and abilities that will continue in City of the Wolves.
” It’s been 25 years since Garou was released, and there’s a lot of people who are still playing that game now”, notes Konya. ” But we consider the story very important. And if the plot calls for this character to lose powers and their arm, then so be it. We do n’t want to make this game so much that people who are eager to see these characters again do n’t feel alien because it’s a long-awaited game. It’s a balancing act”.
On April 24 of next year, the series ‘ long-awaited return to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 will be announced. Fret not, fans of the Wolves. You wo n’t be hungry for much longer.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves meeting — SNK director discusses the line ‘ fresh course
