Marco Rodrigues has returned in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Voiced by Earl Bayton, the fighter formally known in the western ports of Garou as Kushnood Butt, is back. Since Marco was one of my go-to’s in Mark of the Wolves, I’m already ecstatic about what he’s bringing with him. Especially the Kyokugen training partner bear, also.
Those who are already familiar with the Art of Fighting King of Fighters main team might be right at home with Marco’s kit. Coming in with some staple Kyokugen movesets comparable to Capcom’s shoot characters, Marco’s specials consist of an anti-air uppercut and the fireball Kou’en. The rapid punches trap Zenretsuken has been pushed to the SPG-only arsenal. The fixes to make Marco gain reach with his moveset are apparent. Marco’s Hidden Gear attack has taken a page from one of Takuma’s KoF 13 ultimates.
A Kyokugen karateka whose hefty, hot-blooded nature has earned him a reputation for being a beast in battle. With his dojo sign stolen by forces unknown, he has no choice but to hone his karate skills elsewhere in the interim—namely, at Yuri’s fitness club. Upon learning of a new KOF tournament on the horizon, Marco steels himself for what lies ahead: an opportunity to spread word about his beloved dojo, a chance to get its sign back, and (of course) a turbulent test of his Kyokugen Karate might.
Marco has been in the AOF series as a background character since Art of Fighting 2. With Ryo, Takuma, and Yuri, out of the picture(sort of), Marco has entered the the ring in place of his master Ryo’s tried-and-true spin-off of the techniques. Mark of the Wolves was his first time on the roster as a playable character.
Using Yuri’s gym as a battleground(yet this looks more like a takeover), Marco is ready to bring it – Kyokugen Style. Since Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting use Southtown the same way Marvel uses New York, and with some special guests already appearing, there’s a likelihood of us seeing what becomes of the original Kyokugen masters.
Another cool fact about the City of The Wolves, is the Player Select screen aesthetic. No grids seem to be here for character portraits. Instead, their full profiles are shown from head to toe…or shoe. After they’re selected a fighter, the TOP system replacement, S.P.G., is ready to be set based on the player. This is to determine when the health bar will be active.
This look is teeming with the likes of Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury or Art of Fighting 3’s character select screens, which were as unique as we could get with the cast. Fighting games these days barely take to that sort of personality. It’s good to see SNK attempting to bring back incredible standout details like this. Here’s to hoping we get the stage/character intros back for story mode.
【特別企画】「餓狼伝説 City of the Wolves」試遊レポート。攻めも守りも強力なシステムが目白押し！ 対戦動画も掲載 https://t.co/W3c1qhD5le #餓狼伝説CotW #EVOJ24 pic.twitter.com/e7yBUe43cN
— GAME Watch (@game_watch) April 27, 2024
A detail here is the poster art for the booth. Each poster represents each game in the Fatal Fury series including the Real Bout subseries. With all this fan service, it begs to question who will be making their debut next for Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves. If Marco and the rest of the known cast are any indication, the original 16 will be the first picks before classic Fatal Fury or new characters will be shown.
