Street Fighter 6 is a bombastic package that embraces the franchise’s diverse fanbase. From World Tour and the Battle Hub online to the game’s own Training Mode, Capcom has made a generational leap in accessibility.
From series staples like Ryu to newcomers like Jamie and Kimberly, each character has a unique skill set that makes them an instantly recognizable face. Adding to the mix is the Drive System, a gauge players can manage to unleash powerful techniques.
The Story
After Street Fighter V upended the development team and caused Capcom to lose its focus, the franchise has reverted back to its roots in a big way with this installment. At its core, it’s still a fighting game where you spar with friends or take part in massive tournaments, but there’s a full story mode to go along with it this time.
This World Tour mode has you seeking out masters of different fighting styles to tutor your player character. Building a bond with these masters unlocks new moves and fighting styles to customize your character.
I played through a little bit of World Tour at Capcom’s office, but not enough to get a good sense for how long the campaign is or how many characters feature in it. It seems to play much like a Yakuza game, with small quests to complete and brawls to partake in.
The Characters
Across the roster, Street Fighter 6 grounds its classic characters with new character-specific world-building details. While the broad strokes of each warrior remain the same – Ryu is a stoic warrior, Dhalsim a serene yoga master, E. Honda a prideful sumo – the game hints at the eccentricities of their larger worlds.
For example, the Mexican-born Lily uses stocks for stronger and longer moves, and exceeds in air attacks. Meanwhile, Blanka is a kindhearted defender of nature that zaps enemies with his ranged stances.
There are also new characters, like the French model and judoka Manon. She utilizes powerful throws and command grabs that are progressively stronger with the use of medal stocks. She also has the ability to launch projectiles in different directions depending on stance.
The Controls
Whether or not you’re a fan of fighting games, Street Fighter 6 is an outstanding entry in the franchise. Its buttery smooth performance, sleek new art style, and interesting character designs make it a treat to play.
But the innate complexity of the series can be intimidating to non-initiates. Memorizing complicated combos, countering the opponent’s attacks, and predicting when to use your own moves can be daunting.
To address this, the game offers two control schemes. Default Modern controls simplify the inputs and remove the granularity of commands, while Classic controls allow for more precise actions. Both can be used in all modes, but the Modern scheme is best for beginners. The Classic scheme is better suited to tournament play and ranked matches. Players who prioritize agility over power may prefer the Modern scheme, but both are viable options.
The Arcade Mode
Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game that puts online multiplayer matches front and center. Whether you’re looking to test your beginner skills, show off the results of months of training, or get ready for serious esports competitions, this is the place to do it.
SF6 uses Rollback Netcode for low latency, responsive matches with players around the world. It also supports a wide range of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hardware. You can even play Street Fighter 6 in native 4K resolution at 60FPS on PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. That’s one of the most remarkable innovations to hit the series in years. It adds a new level of strategic depth to each fight and, along with splashes of vibrant color, makes for the most impressive visual presentation of any combat in the franchise.
The Battle Hub
Fighting games live or die on their online communities and Street Fighter 6 puts a huge emphasis on the hub that will keep players coming back again and again. While hubs like this aren’t new in the genre, Capcom’s approach has a lot of personality with its stark blue color scheme and plethora of gameplay cabinets.
Players can interact with each other through a text chat system and even sit down at a cabinet to matchmake for ranked matches. There’s a rad air of community in the hub with people helping each other out, exchanging tips on specific match-ups and shouting out GGs to friends.
The hub also lets players take a trip down memory lane by playing a different classic game each day and competing in high score challenges. This is something I hope to see expanded on as more classics are added into the hub, and it adds a nice break from the ranked grind.