The fighting genre is indeed at an intriguing crossroads. For those of you who have been following the latest releases from existing franchises, their approaches always converge at the same point: ensuring that the games they craft remain competitive for veteran gamers while also being accessible to newcomers, even those who aren't skilled in playing such games. Concerning the latter, it becomes something essential, as it will influence the life and death of the fighting game, both in terms of the age of the series and the age of the franchise in the future. Something that Capcom seems to understand.
Powered by a fresh energy from a team no longer led by Yoshinori Ono, who departed from Capcom, the potential of the latest installment, Street Fighter 6, is unstoppable. There are so many ideas that can now be implemented from the creative minds that might not have been facilitated before due to the previous leadership style. Moreover, Capcom now possesses a new and deadly weapon – the RE Engine, one of the best investments they have ever made. Thus, the next challenging task is to build a new identity, craft mechanics that are both deep and simple at the same time, all while ensuring that a beloved roster of characters is present. All these aspects have been successfully brought forth by Street Fighter 6.
Street Fighter 6 Plot
So, what does Street Fighter 6 actually offer? Why do we consider it the best-presented series in its current format? This review will delve deeper into these aspects for you.
Presenting a blend of classic and distinctive flavors, Street Fighter 6 offers two distinct approaches to the series which, canonically, reportedly follows the timeline after Street Fighter III. Unfortunately, those of you who were hoping for a cinematic approach akin to Netherrealm Studios' fantastic style will still be disappointed with Street Fighter 6.
The story will be presented in at least two formats. Firstly, of course, there's the Arcade mode where you, as expected, will be prompted to "clear" a series of fights until the end to uncover character-related narratives. Using the same format as the old Street Fighter series, the story is conveyed through pieces of artwork and snippets of dialogue to explain the situations and motivations of various characters. There are no extravagant animations or grand cut-scenes here.
The other side of Street Fighter 6's narrative is presented in the new mode called World Tour, where you'll play as an avatar you create within an open-world framework set primarily in Metro City. You're depicted as a young person who happens to be interested in joining Luke's Buckler Security. Alongside the competitive character named Bosch, this journey will lead you to fight and train under the existing masters, who, as can be predicted, are the roster characters in Street Fighter 6.
Through these two modes, you can immerse yourself in and explore the story of Street Fighter 6 from two distinct styles and perspectives. Unfortunately, once again, it falls in line with many other fighting games that seemingly aren't interested in following Netherrealm Studios' footsteps to craft a cinematic-style narrative that could easily rival even Hollywood films.
Re Engine For Street Fighter 6
Referring to the RE Engine as one of Capcom's investments doesn't seem excessive. In its early days with Resident Evil VII, many thought that this engine was built and born solely to facilitate Capcom's ambitions in the VR market. It was believed that it was constructed specifically to cater to games with a first-person perspective, requiring detailed close-up object rendering for believability. Years later? It has become the cornerstone for the development of Street Fighter 6 with fantastic results.
This, of course, speaks of the optimization process, which, even when transitioning into the World Tour format or during regular combat animations, shows no issues, at least on the PlayStation 5 version. Yet, ultimately, the RE Engine is merely a "tool". The skill in "cooking up" Street Fighter 6 to achieve its current form deserves to be directed towards the development team, who have succeeded in two things: building a strong identity for the series and ensuring that its animations are at their best. It's a decision that leads to a sweet outcome, injecting a strong hip-hop vibe into every corner of Street Fighter 6. This vibe isn't just represented by the music, but also by the character designs and vibrant colors that "explode" as attack effects.
The same applause is also fitting for both the old and new character designs brought here. Not all of them are exceptional, true, but seeing how Zangief's body contours are now more realistically aligned with that of a wrestler, how Ken looks more mature and desperate at the same time, how Cammy appears more deadly and sweet simultaneously, and how Kimberly and Lily arrive with powerful designs as original roster members – all these aspects make Street Fighter 6 shine in this regard. However, on the other hand, it must be acknowledged that there are other characters in terms of visuals, like Marisa and Manon, who we must admit feel somewhat "lazy" and ordinary at the same time. The same praise is also deserved for the variety of background level designs that you can choose from.
When it comes to the audio aspect? Instead of merely commenting on the OST for each level, which is currently of the expected quality, Street Fighter 6 comes with another extra feature that, in our opinion, deserves consideration for adoption by other developers. Indeed, we're talking about the auto-commentator feature, which is similar to what's found in soccer games and other sports simulations, designed to simulate esports situations. Adapting to this might take some getting used to, especially for a genre that sometimes requires silence for concentration. However, with a variety of commentator options and subtitles added, this feature works quite well. At least with the choice of two simultaneous commentators, it adequately simulates the back-and-forth commentary exchanges as it should. Although it must be admitted that the comment content itself is somewhat generic and isn't capable of reading your plans or strategies in great detail, for instance.
We also appreciate the decision to divide Street Fighter 6's three main modes directly in a simple UI, where you're prompted to choose at the beginning between World Tour, Battle Hub, or Fighting Ground, rather than blending them into a potentially confusing shared mode. The stark differences between these three modes provide you with a more definitive choice regarding what you want to enjoy and experience when playing Street Fighter 6 at that moment.
Game Mechanic
The introduction of a new installment in a fighting game series typically means implementing new and distinct mechanics to make it feel fresh and unique, while also adding deeper layers of strategy to accommodate new playstyles. Rest assured, alongside the new presentation layer, Street Fighter 6 also introduces this concept. It's a concept that ultimately makes the experience not only more exciting and open to a variety of new possibilities but also friendly to newcomers who can make use of it once they learn the right timing.
The key to Street Fighter 6 lies in two words: the Drive System. Presented in the form of an elongated bar beneath the health bar, which also serves as a limit to your guarding actions, this Drive Gauge can increase and decrease based on your actions. So why is it essential? First, it's easy to execute. Second? It has a significant impact.
The first Drive action available to you is the Drive Impact. When entering the Drive Impact status, the character executing it becomes impervious to regular attacks except for three things: throws, three consecutive attacks, or a late-executed opponent's Drive Impact. If Drive Impact is successful, indicated by special visual effects, the opponent hit by it will enter a stun phase for a fraction of a second, which, as you can predict, leaves them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. You can also use the Drive Gauge for the Overdrive action, which enhances the power of certain attacks and makes them more devastating.
However, it's not just about attacking. The Drive Gauge can also be used to trigger what's known as Drive Parry. As the name implies, by simply holding a button, your character enters Drive Parry mode, which remains active as long as you hold it. The effect? You'll automatically evade all types of active attacks, including non-Critical Arts finishing moves. There's a brief delay before entering or exiting this Drive Parry situation, preventing it from becoming overpowered, especially considering it's susceptible to being countered with a throw. What's even more interesting? If you successfully counterattack in this situation, you can achieve a Drive Reversal for a counter move.
Still not enough? While in the Drive Parry situation, you can trigger another Drive condition with just two forward inputs. You can enter a situation known as Drive Rush, which accelerates your character's running speed for a few seconds. Drive Rush becomes a handy tool for continuing combo attacks after your previous strikes, for instance, causing the enemy to be knocked back. Or you can use it to close the gap effectively when your opponent doesn't anticipate it, usually followed by an open defense, particularly against low attacks.
Of course, with the Drive system introduced in Street Fighter 6, you can't exploit it excessively without considering which actions drain or, conversely, restore it. If you use it too much, you can fall into a tired phase followed by a slightly whitened character body color. While waiting for your Gauge to replenish, you won't be able to use any type of Drive in this state and you'll be vulnerable to attacks that could lead you into a prolonged stun status.
The presence of the Gauge-based Drive System, which is easily executed, plays a super significant role in achieving two things for Street Fighter 6: accessibility for non-veteran gamers with a wide-open opportunity for counterplay, and, of course, a higher level of strategic gameplay in the competitive scene compared to previous iterations. This becomes a satisfying system that, on the other hand, cannot be exploited recklessly.
In order to facilitate newcomers to gaming, even those unfamiliar with fighting games, Capcom has injected a new control scheme that they've simplified under the category of "Modern," as opposed to the "Classic" control scheme for those familiar with the traditional Street Fighter control scheme. A scheme that we've been waiting for a long time.
The good news? With the option to use this control scheme even in competitive Ranked Matches, the "Modern" controls won't automatically turn Street Fighter 6 into a child's play, easily manipulated and mastered. What the "Modern" controls do is eliminate the need to rotate the d-pad in specific directions to execute certain special attacks. So, you no longer need to, for example, press half-circle motions for moves like Hadoken. This shift makes your victories and defeats no longer solely based on how adeptly you execute attacks, but more on timing and strategy.
The "Modern" control scheme also allows you to perform auto-combos with simple repeated button presses, which are not available in the "Classic" scheme. So, why isn't this scheme considered imbalanced? Because almost all veteran fighting game players understand that the "Classic" manual scheme provides much more extensive room for utilizing a variety of combo attacks that wouldn't be available in the "Modern" scheme. For instance, you wouldn't be able to string together various Overdrive attacks that could lock down 40% of your opponent's HP if you're only proficient in the "Modern" scheme. This scheme is indeed designed to ensure that newcomers have at least the ability to counter. Or in the scenario we're using? It can serve as a foundation for playing characters whose special attacks we couldn't previously control and use.
The modernization undertaken by Capcom in Street Fighter 6 also comes from the implementation of Rollback Netcode, which is finally available in both online modes, Ranked and Casual. One of the most requested and desired matchmaking methods by any and every fighting game community, it functions as it should. We've encountered gamers outside the Asia region with pings exceeding 270ms who still enjoyed our combat actions without significant delay or noticeable animation freezing. Ultimately, with cross-play options available, the community is now quite lively, so you don't have to wait too long for an online match, even in Ranked mode.
But in the end, the best part of what Capcom offers in Street Fighter 6 is a commitment to ensuring that it presents as many features and content that are ready to cater to all types of gamers. Gamers who desire a straightforward experience can dive straight into the Fighting Ground, enjoying only the available online modes, without getting caught up in all the other features like we did and worked on.
Meanwhile, gamers seeking fresh and new content can always dive into the World Tour mode, which is also crafted wholeheartedly. It offers a more casual experience where you also get the chance to explore Metro City while ensuring your Avatar character is adorned with a plethora of bizarre and unique outfits, complete with RPG-like character status actions. This opens up a potential for Street Fighter that you never thought of before. Especially during exploration, you're given the opportunity to perform attack animations to destroy specific objects or provoke NPC characters to join the fight with you directly. This additional content, in our view, can be intriguing and even lead to addiction for certain types of gamers.
The presence of the Battle Hub, designed as an arcade-filled arena where players can interact and consistently sharpen their skills together, is also an addition that deserves a warm welcome. Although this is a mode we rarely visit, we can see its potential for the future. For instance, using digital screens within the arena, Capcom could broadcast promotions or even top-level competitive matches in the future, both in live format and as replays.
Combined with other intriguing modes like Extreme Battles filled with excitement or essential training modes for the genre, Street Fighter 6 seems to be making up for the shortcomings of Street Fighter V's initial release in the past. From the moment you try it, you'll get what you want and need from it without needing to worry about things that you simply don't care about.
Conclusion
The departure of Yoshinori Ono from Capcom did raise concerns that Street Fighter might end up being put on hold by the Japanese developer for an indefinite period. However, who would have thought that his departure would actually open up creative space for young minds to create Street Fighter 6, not only as a solid legendary fighting game but also in its best form. He ensured that he provided almost everything gamers need, both veterans and newcomers, right from the start. Through new systems like the Drive System and "Modern" controls, he also gave veterans the opportunity to experiment and allowed non-fighting gamers to enjoy the thrill of competitive battles.
Nevertheless, even though it must be admitted that none of them comes from the offered mechanics, Street Fighter 6 is not a perfect fighting game. We ourselves deeply regret that, despite the presence of the World Tour mode and the Arcade mode, they still committed to providing a storyline comparable to that of Netherrealm Studios, which, in our opinion, has immense potential for this franchise. Another shortcoming stemming from personal disappointment? The decision to make Akuma, who we consider essential, a paid DLC character instead of part of the initial roster.
Yet, beyond these shortcomings, Street Fighter 6 is a fantastic fighting game with a strong competitive aura, catering to both veteran and new gamers looking to dive into the genre. It comes with so much content, features, and mechanics waiting to be explored, whether for the sake of mastery or pure enjoyment. Something that is essential for modern fighting games that need a foundation not only to exist but also to endure in the future.
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