It’s been a rough last decade for video game developer Capcom. Every new fighting game they’ve released has been a flop, and didn’t reach the sales that their previous fighting games from the late 2000s had reached. Constant new changes that the fans didn’t want made “Street Fighter V” an unenjoyable experience for most, and fan favorite characters and modes took years to release.
There was hope, however, as the final “Street Fighter V” character was revealed to be a brand new character who would be “Important to the future of ‘Street Fighter,’” as described by the developers, and that character would be Luke. This character caused controversy for having less than fun gameplay and a design that many people didn’t like, myself included.
Just four months later, “Street Fighter VI” was revealed in February 2022. It showed a new redesign for Luke as well as a new design for the franchise’s protagonist, Ryu. It featured a vibrant, 90s-like artstyle and was set to release the following year. This made millions of people, including myself, to think that maybe “Street Fighter” is finally back to being the premier fighting game that it used to be. Sixteen more character reveals later, and “Street Fighter VI” launched a little over a year later, and it did not disappoint.
Instantly the game became a hit, I myself hopped on the train and bought the game within the first week and had a ton of fun. You’re greeted with a character customization screen, with the opportunity to make any character you’d like. This character would be used for the story mode as well as for online play. Though, the character customization may be a little too in-depth, as people have made some truly terrifying “fighters.”
The main attraction to “Street Fighter VI” was the brand new “World Tour” mode. You start out as your custom character being taught how to fight by the game’s protagonist, Luke. Once he believes you’re ready, he lets you loose out into “Metro City.” One thing I didn’t like about this tutorial is that you start with “Modern Controls.” This is a new function that makes it easier for new players to get into “Street Fighter.” Someone like me who has been playing “Street Fighter” for years now would rather play like I always have been, which the new game has dubbed “Classic Controls.” But, after the tutorial, I was able to change my controls and explore “Metro City.”
You’ll then make it to a vibrant, bustling city with full 360° camera controls. Luke asks you to travel around the city and begin street fighting with certain people, while also exploring every inch of the city. Eventually, you’ll be given the opportunity to travel all around the world to places such as Italy, England, Japan, and Brazil to meet familiar faces such as Chun-Li, Blanka, Ken, and Zangief as well as new faces, like Kimberly, Marisa, Jamie, and JP, the games main antagonist. I love all the new characters and how they look, and all the returning characters got fresh, new looks as well. There’s not a single design I don’t like here. The “World Tour” mode lasts about 10-15 hours, giving you a solid single player experience.
You’re given many new moves that characters use in their moveset for your custom character to use. There’s also shops and items for you to buy, letting you power your character up as you progress through the story. I love all the effort that was put into this one mode, and it shows that this mode was top priority for the developers.
On top of the “World Tour” mode, there’s more single player modes as well. “Arcade” mode gives you that retro experience, fighting against a few opponents before fighting JP at the end. You also get to learn more about the character you are playing as, as each character has a mini story, explaining why they’re street fighting in the first place. I love little stories like this because it gives me even more reason to like the character I’m playing. My favorite character is a new character, Kimberly, a fighter who uses the power of music and spray paint.
There’s also a “Training” mode so you can practice your combos. A “Trials” mode, where the game gives you combos to prove just how well you can play a certain character. Finally, there’s “Special Match” mode, giving you matches with special rules and gimmicks, adding a strange twist that I found to be very interesting.
Of course, there’s an online mode as well, letting you play with people from around the world. Your custom character will move around a “Battle Hub” while searching for opponents, in either matches just for fun, or in ranked matches. In ranked matches, if you keep winning, your rank will increase higher and higher, while being matched with people around your skill level.
The competitive side of “Street Fighter VI” won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, as proven by “Evo 2023,” the biggest fighting game tournament in the world. It surpassed over 7,000 entrants, these people flew out to Las Vegas for a chance at the title of “EVO Champion.” The tournament was won by Amjad Al-Shalabi (aka AngryBird) from UAE who plays Ken and won $20,000. The developers of “Street Fighter VI,” Capcom, has also put a “Capcom Cup” for 2023-24 with the final tournament having a prize pool of over $2M on the line.
The game itself is also getting constant updates, with two additional characters being added since the game launched. Those two being Rashid and A.K.I.. More characters are being added, we know of Akuma and Ed but new characters will surely be added for years to come.
Overall, “Street Fighter VI” proved everyone right, “Street Fighter” is back, and potentially better than ever. Featuring a huge single player mode that’ll last you hours on end, a competitive scene with everyone striving to be the best, and new updates coming every 1-2 months that keeps bringing people back. “Street Fighter” hasn’t been this good in years, and I’d say it was worth the wait.
4.5/5
