SNK’s superbly supported Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is going above and beyond with its first anniversary update, adding a visual novel-style story mode for free on 24th April.
Available alongside DLC character Wolfgang Krauser, the new single player Wolves’ Destiny mode will depict the aforementioned emperor’s return to South Town, and his ongoing power struggle with Kain R. Heinlein.
The story will be fully voice acted, with 150 all-new illustrations to document the plot. While it won’t be animated like in other fighting games, think of this more like an interactive manga. It’ll accompany the existing RPG-inspired Episodes of South Town mode, providing more single player content in an SNK fighter than ever before.
As part of the upcoming update, the studio is also revamping the UI to make navigation around its various modes easier. This includes the addition of the Fighter’s Hub, which is described as a “one-stop shop” for all your stats and online match settings.
In addition, Kain will be getting a new outfit inspired by the Wolves’ Destiny storyline, while a brand-new train station stage will bring back Ring Outs from 1995’s Real Bout Fatal Fury – an oft requested feature.
If all that’s not enough, SNK is decoupling the core game from its DLC and reducing the price, meaning moving forward you’ll be able to get started for $19.99. There’ll still be a Legends Edition available featuring both Season 1 and Season 2 for $49.99.
This lower price of entry, though, paired with the unprecedented post-release support from SNK, should really make this a must-buy. While the game does have some rough edges, the raw fighting is fantastic, and there’s a ridiculous amount of content even in the core package.