Review: Street Fighter 6 – The Fighting Game’s Big Return

Before the review, I want to say that I played 84 hours, and it’s not enough for me. The game draws me in like a goddamn drug – I enjoy playing it so much. During this time, I realized: Capcom put their soul into this product.

Capcom has given up on trying to make a cinematic adventure, instead offering a kind of RPG with leveling, bosses, creating your own avatar, and the ability to combine moves from different fighters from the main roster.

• Developer: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
• Publisher: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
• Release Date: 2 June, 2023

Formally, Street Fighter 6 is divided into three components: the World Tour story mode, a multiplayer hub and a classic fighting game with arcade mode, training, and the usual search for opponents in network mode.

The World Tour slowly but steadily brings you up to speed, gradually teaching the basics of the combat system and showing the various applications of the unique skills of each of the fighters.
Hub is the second mode, which is designed to create a virtual arcade space for players to meet. Players choose arcade machines, sit down and wait for the opponent. Nearby people can peep and, if desired, line up to fight the champion.
Finally, there is the classic game, in which you can play the story mode (arcade) for each fighter separately and learn his personal history, as well as try several training modes.

It’s worth a closer look here, because in terms of training, Capcom has surpassed everyone else. In addition to the usual training room, the game offers a sequential study of the fighting style of each individual fighter, and does so from the basics. That is, Capcom literally does the work of a fan blogger in an interactive format, where the first lesson begins with a general overview of the fighter (strengths or weaknesses, advantages in battle, how to deal with him, what tactics), then the narrative goes into detail, and in each lesson the player can try to repeat this blow on their own. All this is written in a simple and lively language, incredibly accessible. A player who has completed training for at least one character will feel very confident in online modes, and most importantly, will be able to communicate with others in the language of the genre and perceive information faster. It’s amazing how gracefully Street Fighter 6 handles the problem of competitive barriers in fighting games – this can only be applauded.

I’ll be honest: the plot is definitely not the strong point of the World Tour. In dialogues with your character, you usually want to die from a creep, because he is stupidly silent or makes a face in bewilderment or joy, like a fool. The World Tour is the ideal entry point into the world of Street Fighter for beginners. This mode teaches the basics of the game, introduces the characters and lore, and makes you fall in love with yourself.

The control schemes have also changed. The game unequivocally hints that only the classic six-button game gives full control over the selected character, fully revealing its potential.
Let’s talk a little about balance. In the beginning, I easily crushed the enemies to the right and left, without experiencing any difficulties. Over time, the pace increased, and the enemies became fatter.

In the open world, you can fight with almost any NPC: even with a child, even with an old man, and even with a seller. Each battle has additional conditions. In the open world, there are not only live punching bags, but also clothing stores, regular vendors and mini-games. Unnecessary gear can be sold, your things painted in your favorite color. Vendors allow you to replenish health with various local dishes or buy/sell consumables. And the mini-games teach you the basics of the game: move input, character movement, mechanics like parry, and so on. They are also rewarded with game currency for a successful entry.

According to the developers, when creating a new part, they were inspired by the most stylish, “street” and unusual part of the series – Street Fighter 3, especially its 3rd Strike iteration. In that part, the spirit of the streets was felt from everywhere – it was really a “STREET FIGHTER”! Just listen to the main theme of the game, written by Canadian rapper Infinite. This does not mean that the whole game is solid rap. The game has enough excellent compositions in a different style!

Street Fighter 6 is off to an impressive start. It feels decently balanced and finally includes something interesting for solo players not ready for ranked matches. At the same time, it is the network modes that will bring many interesting innovations in the near future. Capcom won my heart. Without a twinge of conscience I will say that Street Fighter 6 is the best modern fighting game and the main fighting game of the year. The work was done titanic, with love for details and for the players.

PROS

• Gameplay
• New style and overall picture quality improvement
• Physics
• Plenty of solo content

CONS

• Timings and difficult combos
• Monetization
• Unintuitive Menu