When you look back upon Street Fighter’s rich history, there are those core fighters that were there right from the beginning. For decades, Ken has been one of those characters. Playing through Street Fighter 6 and appreciating just how familiar yet fresh he felt was such a cool moment, and proof that one of those iconic fighters never gets old when he steps into battle. While Ken has been a staple of Capcom’s most famous fighting series, Mr Masters is now a part of Fatal Fury: City of Wolves thanks to its upcoming DLC.
The king is back
I was fortunate enough to spend a bit of time playing as Ken. He’s even got his own mini story in Arcade, but for now it’s all about seeing how he transitions into the fighting mechanics of Fatal Fury and the REV System. As someone who played a lot of SF6, Ken’s arrival in City of the Wolves doesn’t take much time before you adapt his famous fighting style. SNK has done a solid job of making him work, and that effort shows.
Ken has the majority of his staple attacks in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Instantly I was pulling off a Hadouken, as well as the spinning heel kick and Dragon Punch. He feels as weighty and swift as he does in SF6. This gave me an instant feel of familiarity, and while I felt at home with Ken, its true transition between the two series is going to be felt more in online bouts as opposed to playing against the AI controlled versions. All those nuances will be noticed depending on how real opponents react to them.
With Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Ken now has a “Feint”. Busting out a fake Hadouken will see your opponent try to jump over it, which can lead to an aerial attack for you to take advantage of. It adds depth to his arsenal, throwing out new ways to play as him. It will be interesting to see how used to the attack actual players get, but regardless, it adds another dynamic which fits in well. Ken feels like he always has, but SNK has thrown in some additional kicks and follow-ups that add freshness to him.
Ken is a great character in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Players who might not be familiar with SNK’s beast will find Ken relatively easy to handle, but also getting a good introduction to new mechanics that just aren’t in Street Fighter 6. He looks incredible as well, and having the crossover feels like Capcom are repaying the favour for featuring Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui in SF6’s Year 2 roster. It will be great to see how players make use of him online where the real challenge begins.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is out now for PS4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series S|X.
