Garou: Mark of the Wolves
SNK Playmore, 1999
Leaving an indelible mark
SNK is still around doing things in this modern fighting game landscape. Their latest release, Garou: City of the Wolves, is a certified banger and is getting a lot of play in the critic sphere because the original is so beloved. And that’s one of the best things Mark of the Wolves managed to do: Leave a good legacy and stay relevant 25 years later.
Mark of the Wolves does a lot of things with the Fatal Fury name for the sake of progress. Taking place 10 years after the death of crime lord Geese Howard during the King of Fighters Tournament as depicted in Real Bout Fatal Fury, Mark introduces a new cast with Terry Bogard returning to the fray to lead the charge. Terry takes the young Rock Howard, Geese’s scion, under his wing to fight for South Town and justice in general. But the specter of Geese haunts them. And there is a new villain in the mix, Kain, to take Geese’s place and up the stakes. The plot is interesting and engaging. Getting used to a whole new cast minus Terry takes a minute and learning their background and motivation is fun.
The character designs are cool, as they are in most SNK games. The sprites look great and are large and detailed. The backgrounds, while colorful, aren’t nearly as detailed, though there are a lot of animations going on that make them lively. Overall, the look isn’t too different than what you’d expect from an SNK arcade game, but the Dreamcast does give it a little boost.
The soundtrack is a little generic, which is surprising because I was expecting some nice tracks. I’m spoiled by the often-maligned SvC Chaos, which had a great soundtrack despite the surrounding mess, because it was released in the same era by SNK. However, despite the generic undertones, the soundtrack doesn’t deter the surrounding overall product.
And the surrounding product, gameplay-wise, is fine. New mechanics, like the Tactical Offense Position and Just Defend, are welcome new pieces in the series’ repertoire. Just Defend, which is like Street Fighter III’s parry mechanic, has hung around and made appearances in other games such as Capcom vs. SNK 2’s K‑Groove so I’d say it’s a good addition 25 years later. And with the new mechanics, the game plays well, too. If I could pick it up and play it with little exposure to SNK’s style of fighting and do well, it’s safe to say that Mark has a good feel. That feel is present in the varied modes, with Survival as the most fun out of all offered.
Mark is a great fighting game and still holds up well. It has the attraction of early 2000s fighting game finesse, and it serves as a good introduction to the world of SNK if you’re not well-versed in the series. A well-rounded fighting game with strong mechanics and good environment are the marks of a future legend.