So far, we’ve had some amazing additions to Season 3 of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, with these new fighters feeling quite balanced and accessible to most players. But now, the new one to make his way to the roster is none other than Kim Kaphwan, one of the deadliest Taekwondo fighters around. While I was expecting his gameplay to be a bit similar to Kim Jae Hoon’s, I ended up discovering one of the most powerful characters in the game, and one that has the potential to counter almost every other fighter.
The Perfect Kick
Kim Kaphwan is a pretty interesting character in the sense that he doesn’t have a long moves list, at least compared to Duck King. Instead, he is all about landing that perfectly timed kick, which is a playstyle I’m not used to, but ended up liking.
After crouching for a while, Kim Kaphwan can counter with one of the game’s strongest moves, sending an enemy flying and even letting skilled fighters chain it into a longer combo. This was extremely helpful against almost every other fighter in the game, as you can use it to keep all other characters at bay or to deliver a destructive anti-air move.
Kaphwan truly shines when you manage to add more combos to the mix. He has basically two powerful moves, the first one being the one mentioned above, and another one allowing you to stomp an enemy. Both of these can evolve into different combo variations that are truly perfect for almost every situation. Unfortunately, Kaphwan has no notable ranged skills, so you’ll be looking at a high-risk fighter who relies on patience rather than offense.
Still, he ended up being a pleasant surprise for me, and a huge upgrade compared to Kim Jae Hoon. I really liked the more “wait for the right moment” approach to its gameplay, as it is highly rewarding to pull off. But if we compare it to the previous additions to the roster, I’d say Kim Kaphwan is on the more “expert” scale when it comes to new fighters. I tried him during several versus matches, especially against the DLC characters. I never struggled against any of them, which checks out for the character, but it just worries me a bit for the overall game’s balance.
Just a Bit Overpowered
While I’m extremely happy with how SNK designed Kim Kaphwan and truly did justice to this iconic character, I also feel he is one of the most overpowered fighters we’ve had in the roster. Whether that is good or bad remains to be seen. Still, I’m glad every new addition has a unique playstyle that truly caters to all players, and with Kaphwan, I’m sure those veteran Fatal Fury fans will have a blast trying to master the deadliest martial artist in the game.
