First details on Street Fighter 6 have been revealed. Can new modes and simpler controls give the old familiar characters and systems a fresh twist?
With Street Fighter 6, publisher and developer Capcom wants nothing less than to usher in “a new era for fighting games”. More details about the game have now been revealed in a short teaser trailer.
You can see a lot of familiar things – but the fighting game, which first saw the light of day back in 1987, seems to have arrived in the year 2022. Some exciting new features, such as more beginner-friendly controls and great new modes, point to an actual evolution of the genre classic.
New control system should help beginners
The latest instalment in the long-running series is not only intended to appeal to veterans and genre aficionados. Newcomers should also be introduced to the game. For this purpose, Capcom has come up with a new control method that is supposed to make complicated button combinations much easier to execute.
In the “modern” control type, players no longer have to make precise circular movements with the analogue stick to perform special manoeuvres.
One press of a button is enough to bring a “Hadoken” or “Shoryuken” onto the floor. Automatic combos are also possible simply by pressing a button. For professionals and old-established fans, the classic control system is still part of the game.
Thought the new controls are for “players who are diving into the world of Street Fighter for the first time, or those who haven’t touched a fighting game in years.” This adjustment seems like a good move. It will allow beginners to master the characters’ complex special moves and combos, increasing accessibility.
Large “World Tour” mode promises a lot
In addition to the usual battles, two new modes are to expand the fun in Street Fighter 6. These are called “Battle Hub” and “World Tour”. Few details have been released on the former, but the description as “the ultimate place for players to find friendly rivalries” hints at an extensive online mode.
Capcom has not yet revealed any concrete information on multiplayer and the popular Street Fighter eSports.
While Street Fighter 5 almost completely lacked entertaining single-player content, this is now to be made up for with “World Tour”. Capcom promises a “captivating story mode for solo players”. After creating your own self, you can explore an entire city called “Metro City”. A novelty in the Street Fighter series.
In the first trailer, short scenes can be seen where the own character runs around in the beautifully modelled city, explores it freely and challenges characters to fights. More specific details about how the game works and the wealth of content have not yet been revealed.
At first glance, “World Tour” is very reminiscent of “MyCareer” from the NBA 2K titles and looks promising. “MyCareer” works on a similar principle and enjoys great popularity in the NBA fan community.
A mix of old and new characters
At the Summer Game Fest, direct gameplay from the game was shown for the first time. What could be seen were the effect-laden action fireworks, which are already known from the previous sequels. The scenes shown are graphically impressive.
In this trailer, Guile was confirmed as a playable character, who has been an integral part of the series since Street Fighter 2 in 1991. Capcom is still keeping a low profile on the cast of characters, but in addition to the American, the veterans Ryu and Chun-Li were also presented. They are joined by new characters in the form of Jamie and Luke.
Street Fighter 6 will be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series XS and PC. Unlike its predecessor, the fighting game will no longer be Sony exclusive. The game is scheduled for release in 2023, but no exact date has been given yet.
