We had the chance to go to Capcom’s Ile-de-France premises to test an absolutely not final version of Street Fighter 6. On the program, 4 characters and 2 stages, a PDF detailing all the new commands, frenzied fights and what to shoot some lessons. We’ll let you know right away!
street fighter. One of those licenses so famous that even your friends and your non-gaming colleagues seem to feel a semblance of jealousy when you tell them that you will continue your day at Capcom to play in advance their latest baby, whose name everyone already knows and has probably already approached from near or far. An institution, we tell you! And there, after a fifth high-flying episode but with a sluggish start, the Osaka firm is back with a new canon game for 2023. What to rekindle the passion? That’s what we’re going to see with our preview of Street Fighter 6!
Options for noobs?
You don’t change a winning formula too much and overall, Street Fighter 6 will use the same recipe as its predecessors, modifying a few subtleties. It should see the light of day on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series, and Steam. And the first thing that strikes is the “modern” command mode implemented. On the front: weak medium strong and special, without distinction of foot or fist, and on the triggers, the drives which we will talk about a little later, and an auto combo! If this could make the game more accessible in terms of dexterity to enter the inputs, we haven’t played it enough to decide, but we think that it will be necessary to relearn how to play… And that a novice will have to train a minimum! No magic even with auto combo! To confirm !
What’s new in terms of Street Fighter 6?
Among the novelties, we especially notice, like the nose in the middle of the face, the implanted “drive” system. On the menu, a gauge located under the life bar. It is she who is scratched in rank, unless it is empty, in which case we enter “burnout” with all the penalties that go with it. The drive bar is used in particular for the Drive Impact (big fist and big foot), a blow that resembles the focus of SFIV, where you can absorb a few blows before carrying one. And if we press forward and on the two big fists and feet, it’s a technique called reversal. With both means, we have access to Drive Parry: a kind of stance where we do not take damage. And if we do it at the right time, it’s a counter. A mechanism as violent as the counter of Dead or Alive? This remains to be proven. With the two little fists and feet, we stay on the mug!
The ultra gauge becomes the overdrive gauge, and it no longer manages EX hits. These will also type in the Drive gauge. The former ultra gauge will have 3 levels, and each character will have 3 special moves which will be worth 1, 2 or 3 when used (it is better to follow).
Here comes a new challenger!
As for the fighters of Street Fighter 6, we were able to approach 4 of them. How many will there be at launch? Only Capcom knows that. We were able to see a Chun-Li which seemed quite classic to us, with her “1000 foot technique” in a quarter circle. Ryu remains very classic too, with the same specials and commands, but some novelties, such as a new quarter circle back and fist that sends a ball but in close combat.
We also got to play with Luke, one of the new characters from 5e episode which arrived at the end and then unpublished, which will therefore make its second appearance in the roster, which has already leaked. But also Jamie, who was brand new, too. He is a kind of disciple of Yun and Yang. And if you press down and fist twice, he drinks. We remind you to do so in moderation on your side. A gauge then fills up, and the higher it is, the drunker the bugger is and has access to new special moves! And her head turns all red and her long braid comes off! What will the rest of the cast be made of? Again, we will have to wait to find out more.
A new design for Street Fighter 6
The first thing you notice visually when playing this Street Fighter 6 is the character design, which has changed. It’s more realistic, less cartoonish, and frankly, we like it! On the observed stages, we saw an alley of Metro City from Final Fight with all the mobs of the first level, including the boss, but also Poison and Hugo. We appreciate. The second level, a ruined Asian temple, looked like it was straight out of Sekiro’s last area! OST level, we will find something very Hip Hop oriented with comments from real English and Japanese esports commentators (soon in French too?), and visually, we will find beautiful light effects matching other forms of painting.
Technically speaking, we played a PS5 version, and it was very fluid and quite nice. We feel the “next-gen”. We wonder how everything will be able to behave on PS4 and Xbox One slim… And even Pro/X… But to answer these questions, like so many others, we will have to wait a long time, since the game announces a simple 2023 for release date !
We are waiting for it… With impatience!
Street Fighter returns with a 6e episode, and we were able to play an unfinished version of it, with 4 characters and versus, only versus. Overall, the gameplay framework remains the same, but there will be some new features with a Drive gauge that will give access to several special techniques, such as counter or SFIV focus. A control mode called “modern” will be part of the game, and should, with a short learning curve, allow players with square hands to get by without quarter circles and with an auto combo. But that’s not all: the design also changes, is less cartoonish, which is not displeasing to us. Finally, technically, on PS5, the whole thing seemed to turn on the hair. How will a first-gen PS4 fare? The answer… in 2023!