While some of us may be used to the moves of some classic characters in the SNK pantheon, it is always exciting to imagine them as they reach the newest stage, and in this case, I’m referring to Duck King. With his debut on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, I got to take this new fighter out for a quick dance, who is easily one of the most fun and mobile characters in the game.
Dropping the Beat
I have always been a fan of dancer-like characters who make their way to fighting games, as they usually bring some of the smoothest and most engaging combos to pull off. That’s precisely the case for Duck King, who’s the next to land on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
One of my biggest gripes with Rick Strowd, who opened the floor for this new season, was how his short-range moves left no room to get out of a combo or get more defensive. Duck King balances that by bringing deadly close-range hits with the mobility one would expect from a breakdance martial artist.
In terms of his moves, they are extremely fast and easy to pull off, with most combos having different variants depending on your input. Out of all the new characters, Duck King has one of the longest combo lists, and despite how daunting they felt at first, they were surprisingly intuitive to learn.
While he is pretty much a close-range fighter, one thing I loved about him was how mobile SNK made our breakdancer. You can approach your opponents with ease, deliver several blows, and then walk away in the coolest way imaginable, which is a great way to taunt opponents as you prepare your next dance move.
Another big surprise was his reach; despite not having many ranged options, his breakdance moves with spinning kicks make up for it. I fought several characters who often give me trouble, like Strowd and Blue Mary, and it was pretty easy to get in their face and send them flying with his rotating kicks. Specials, on the other hand, were a bit harder to pull off, but I didn’t see them as necessary given how well-designed his kit already is.
The Right Moves
Last time, when I reviewed Rick Strowd, while enjoyable, I felt he was extremely niche. Duck King, on the other hand, felt extremely versatile but also approachable to the point that mastering some of his moves doesn’t feel too complicated.
Frankly, I like the approach SNK is taking to this season. Even if I enjoy the high-skill-ceiling characters, I also feel the studio should always balance the new roster additions by throwing in an easy-to-use fighter. In this particular case, Duck King fits the bill. Yet that doesn’t mean he’s not challenging to master. Experienced fighters will have a blast while trying to get the most out of this breakdancing martial artist, and I have the feeling Duck King will quickly rise to one of the best and most used fighters in South Town.
