Round one: the first night
City of the Wolves looks fantastic: a hand-inked comic style, loud colour and every fighter animated with real attitude. Smart Style, the beginner setting, maps specials and combos to a direction and one button, and it is good enough that some top players use it. Combo Trials and a proper tutorial cover the rest.
Episodes of South Town is the single-player mode: a map of the city with fights, character growth and unlockable colours. It is a gentle way to learn each fighter, and it gives the game a reason to keep playing alone.
It plays like a fighting game made by people who still remember the arcade, and it looks like a comic book that has come to life.
Round two: online
Rollback netcode and crossplay across PlayStation, Xbox and PC came from launch, and the netcode is solid. The player base is smaller than Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8, so at quiet hours ranked can take a moment to find a match. The Season 2 relaunch in January 2026 brought plenty of players back.
Lobbies and replays are simple and do the job.
Round three: depth
The REV system is the clever part: a heat gauge that fuels powerful moves and overheats if you use it too much. Pair it with the S.P.G., a section of your health bar you pick before the match where your fighter grows stronger and gains extra moves, and every match has decisions about when to spend and when to wait. Just Defend, the classic Garou parry, rewards perfect timing with health back.
With 33 fighters and more coming, the cast mixes old Fatal Fury favourites, Garou's new generation and some wild guests.
Round four: the bill
The base game is £19.99, the cheapest new fighter on the card. The three Season Passes cost £11.99, £15.98 and £15.98 on Steam UK, so every fighter through to Reina comes to about £64. Single fighters from the first two seasons are £3.98 each.
It is the best price for a modern 2D fighter with a full cast.
| Steam UK | Usual | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, base game | £19.99 | £19.99 |
| Season Pass 1 | £11.99 | £11.99 |
| Season Pass 2 | £15.98 | £15.98 |
| Season Pass 3 | £15.98 | £15.98 |
| Full cast | £63.94 | £63.94 |
Season Pass 1 brought Andy Bogard, Ken, Joe Higashi, Chun-Li and Mr. Big. Season Pass 2 added Kim Jae Hoon, Nightmare Geese, Blue Mary, Wolfgang Krauser, Mr. Karate and Kenshiro. Season Pass 3 has Rick Strowd, Duck King, Kim Kaphwan and the two Tokyo Revengers guests out, with Laocorn due in November and Reina in December 2026.
Who to pick first
Rock Howard
Terry's adopted son and the game's lead. A balanced kit that teaches the REV system without tricks.
Terry Bogard
Burn Knuckle, Power Geyser and big damage. Simple to start with and still strong at high level.
Before your first ranked match
- Try Smart Style first, then switch to Arcade Style once you know your fighter's specials by name.
- Watch the REV gauge. If it overheats you lose your strongest moves for a while.
- Choose your S.P.G. zone on purpose. Setting it at the end of the bar suits players who like comebacks.
Is it for you?
Buy it if
- You want a modern 2D fighter for less money
- You loved Garou or King of Fighters
- You like a beginner mode that does not feel second-class
Skip it if
- You need ranked matches at four in the morning
- You want a 3D game
The verdict
A confident, gorgeous return for Fatal Fury and the best value new fighting game this year. Smaller queues are the only real catch.
Sources
Played on PC by the Battle Themes team. Facts and prices checked 4 November 2026.