THE MAKING OF RB2 TM THE NEWCOMERS

REAL BOUT FATAL FURY 2

- WORDS BY WILL FREEMAN

FAST, BEAUTIFUL, AND CHARISMATIC, FATAL FURY REAL BOUT 2: THE NEWCOMERS REMAINS AN ICON OF THE FIGHTING GAME GENRE. WITH AN UPDATED VERSION RECENTLY LANDING ON STEAM, IT'S TIME TO RETURN TO ITS CREATION - AND SPEAK TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THE ORIGINAL AND THE NEW PORT

When the first Fatal Fury game made it to arcade machines in 1991, it marked a significant moment in the history of the iconic outfit SNK. In time, the Japanese firm would go on to stand as one of the most important developers and publishers of fighting games globally. And it unquestionably owes much of that success to the birth and evolution of Fatal Fury.

Adopting the conventional template for head-to-head fighters which had only really been cemented in the previous couple of years series opener Fatal Fury: King Of Fighters was designed by Takashi Nishiyama, creator of the original 1987 Street Fighter. Having left Capcom, as his former colleagues worked on Street Fighter II, Nishiyama joined SNK, with a vision to make a game that offered a spread of characters that were more easily empathised with, and a story that players could feel and connect with a little more. A fighting game, he believed, could be about more than combos, blocks and special moves, bringing heart, narrative and worldbuilding.

Fatal Fury: King Of Fighters was unquestionably visually impressive, delightfully fluid, and certainly charismatic. It brought mechanical depth and nuance, but felt more fun and playful than many of its rivals. It was also a relatively stripped back affair, featuring just three player characters in the original version, along with a fairly contained scattering of enemy fighters. In time, however, the series would grow and evolve, expanding its combat complexity and cast diversity, organically establishing a game world that was loud, boisterous, and charming. Fatal Fury has always had a glint in its eye that made many other fighting series seem a little too staid and stony faced.