Hold onto your hats (or should that be bandana?) and contain your excitement; the long-awaited Street Fighter game is almost ready to be released. This must be one of the most talked about and long-awaited game releases of recent years. Finally, the much-loved favourite is due to return to our screens. Many thought this might never happen. However, the game will go on sale in a little over a month, and a demo and trailer have already dropped.
Street Fighter 6 will be available to play on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Although the developers, Capcom, will not be making the game for Xbox One, they have confirmed that the title will be cross-platform compatible. In addition, there will almost certainly be a mobile-friendly version of the game.
The game is the latest in the line of games which have become a global phenomenon. However, it was Street Fighter 2 that earned the franchise its stripes. The game had an extensive character roster and refined gameplay, which allowed players to fight head-to-head against each other. As a result, the game became the highest-grossing arcade game of 1991 in Japan and the US. By the end of 1992, it was the best-selling arcade game of the last ten years. In addition, there have been Street Fighter films – both live-action and anime, a TV series and even an online slot game which can be played at UK casinos like Casumo.
Capcom’s latest Street Fighter title is set in a fictional developing nation called Nayshall. The location is somewhere in Asia but nothing more specific than that. Additionally, there is a single-player store mode called World Tour in which players will be able to create customizable avatars. This mode will see players encounter all kinds of enemies who are intent on chasing them off the streets.
While set in Nayshall, players are not restricted to remaining here. By purchasing Flight Tickets in the game, they can travel around the world and find any number of legendary fighters. There is an opportunity to become these fighter’s student and learn special moves. Mastery of these skills will allow the players to unlock new levels and cutscenes.
Street Fighter 6 also features a Team Battle mode. This allows players to fight against others by creating a team. If you want to dial things up, there is even an Extreme Battle mode to indulge yourself in. In the Extreme mode, fight conditions are altered via a random selection of gimmicks, such as a rampaging bull charging around the stage sporadically.
The game is packed with RPG elements as well. Consumable items and food are up for grabs. These offer a range of perks and allow you to earn skill points which can be spent on the skill tree for new bits of kit.
Players keen on multiplayer battles can head over to the Battle Hub. Here players fight each other using customer avatars. If that wasn’t more than enough excitement, players can create a customizable Club in the Battle Hub. This is where you will assemble your players, and you can customize your club look and design a uniform. Finally, for those who enjoy competitive play, there are Ranked Matches where you can earn league points and climb the rankings.
Capcom is also making some changes to simplify the game controls. In the past, players have had to memorize combos and chains to achieve their moves. A new modern control scheme eliminates the need for that now. In addition, a new Real Time commentary feature adds additional entertainment to the fights.
The developers have confirmed a launch day of June 2nd. Eighteen fighters will be in the initial line-up, including Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken. Four more, Rashid, A.K.I, Ed and Akuma, will come available as DLC over the following months. You can pre-order Street Fighter 6 on Steam, with prices starting at £54.98. There is a free-to-play demo version available now to whet your appetite.