It’s been a long while, hasn’t it? For a while there, we were getting new Arcade Archives NEOGEO releases on a near-weekly basis, and I tried to review as many of them as I could. Then, they stopped. Fair enough: most of SNK’s catalog had been covered. But there was one big omission, and it baffled me that it was left undone. Sure, Dotemu had made a version for mobile before, but that hasn’t stopped Hamster and SNK in the past. That game is, of course, Garou: Mark of the Wolves ($3.99). It’s one of SNK’s very best fighters, and given who we are talking about, that is saying something. But how is this version?
As mentioned, we have already seen a mobile release of this game courtesy of Dotemu, and it is still available on the App Store as Garou: Mark of the Wolves ($3.99). The price is exactly the same, and it was updated a couple of years ago. I imagine it won’t be updated again now that this new version has made the scene, but here and now I suppose there is a very real question as to which is better and whether you need the ACA NEOGEO version if you already have the Dotemu one.
The answer is a familiar one, friends. But to get everyone up to speed, the answer is that while Dotemu’s version still functions and hasn’t even gone that long without an update, it’s outdated in a lot of ways. The UI was built for different screen sizes and ratios, and the virtual buttons reflect that. There is support for local wifi multiplayer, which is something it has over Hamster’s version. It also offers its own set of modes, and since it is built on the AES version of the game it has all the features and settings consistent with that home version. But it just doesn’t play well anymore thanks to that messed-up UI, and I think if that bit isn’t working right, nothing else matters.
The ACA NEOGEO version of Garou: Mark of the Wolves is similar to all of the other releases. It has both Japanese and International MVS versions of the game, a timed Caravan Mode, and a Score Attack mode. There are online leaderboards, a bevy of options that allow you a great deal of granular customization, and support for controllers. The only multiplayer happens on one device, and requires multiple external controllers to be of any real use. Since this is a fighting game, you’d ideally want to be able to play against someone else. Well, if nothing else, it’s easier than ever to find at least a couple of controllers that are compatible with iOS.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves first released on the NEOGEO in 1999, which makes it one of the later releases from the pre-Aruze SNK. While the naming is clear with the Japanese titles of the games, Western players might need some clarification that this is a mainline Fatal Fury game. In some ways, it works as SNK’s reply to Capcom’s Street Fighter 3. Like that game, it features a mostly-new roster, an all-new art style, and a new blocking system that strongly rewards players who master it. Also like that game, Mark of the Wolves was a big hit with the hardcore fighting crowd. I think it’s terrific. One of SNK’s finest, as I said in the opening. It looks and sounds great, the roster is interesting and well-balanced, and it’s truly satisfying to play thanks to its combination of upfront accessibility and deeper mechanics to master.
The usual ACA NEOGEO extra modes aren’t all that fitting here, as is generally the case with fighting games in the line-up. You can mess around with them for a while, but you’ll probably end up topping out the play value of trying to compete on those leaderboards relatively quickly. For most people who don’t have an extra person and/or controllers to use, that means the standard single-player story mode is going to be the go-to. Is that good enough? You know, for four measly dollars, I think it is. Sure, the usual SNK difficulty spikes are here, especially if you’re aiming for the true last boss. But I think if you play around with the options, you can get it so that a good chunk of the game is doable for just about anyone. It really is a fun fighter, and a mark of that is how even in less than optimal form it is quite enjoyable.
This is nowhere near the best way to play Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and I would hope anyone who enjoys this mobile version will seek out a version on a more suitable platform. With that said, you can still get your share of good times out of this ACA NEOGEO release of the stone-cold classic, and it effectively replaces the aged Dotemu release that is still on the store. If this is where the ACA NEOGEO line ends, at least it’s going out on one of the best possible notes.
