Street Fighter 6 Review – The Perfect Fighting Game

With the underwhelming release of the fifth game back in 2016, the once legendary Street Fighter franchise had taken a massive hit to its reputation. And it took years for Capcom to rebuild the trust that they had established with the community over the years.

So as the release of the next game was looming in the distance, many still had some reservations. But I’m here to tell you that Street Fighter 6 sets the bar so high, that it might just outdo every game that has come before it.

Story And Setting

A strong narrative and a well-done campaign from a fighting game are not something that you’d normally expect. In fact, these aspects are the weakest parts of such games, and that is no different for Street Fighter 6. Even though the game nails everything else, the single-player mode isn’t it, and the story is probably going to bore you more than anything else.

However, the new campaign mode known as World Tour is actually great for new players as it helps them get used to the gameplay. It is an RPG-styled mode where you’ll create and customize your own character and get to train with the various legends of the Street Fighter universe.

Street Fighter 6 sets the bar so high, that it might just outdo every game that has come before it.

There are a lot of customization options to be found in this mode, and you can even choose what kind of moves your character learns. Additionally, you can also carry over your customized avatar to the online lobbies when you wanna face off against other players. 

Aside from the World Tour, there is also an arcade mode where you can experience the individual storylines of the various playable characters in the game. This includes learning about the origin story of new characters and the backstories of the already famous fighters in the universe.

Gameplay

The gameplay is where Street Fighter 6 nails almost everything and adds new mechanics to deliver one of the best fighting game experiences ever seen. The launch roster is huge as well, with 12 returning and 8 new characters, giving you a total of 18 unique fighters that you can choose to play as.

The new Drive mechanic also completely changes the gameplay and makes it much more dynamic. Basically, each character can use the drive to interrupt their opponent’s combos or counter an incoming Drive attack on top of that. However, there’s a gauge meter that ensures how much of this mechanic you can depend on during fights, so it’s not an infinite resource.

There are handicaps as well to ensure that battles remain balanced throughout, as you can also get burnout if you depend on it too much. But fighting without using it will get you in trouble too, so a perfect balance has to be found at all times.

Drive can also be utilized to push your opponent into a wall to make him vulnerable for your next attack. But you’ll have to take care of getting burnout as well. In the burned-out state, you will have to play defensively, and your playstyle will be nerfed, especially if your opponent still has their gauge.

Street Fighter 6 is probably the most accessible and beginner-friendly fighting game I have ever encountered.

Aside from the newly introduced drive mechanic, Parry also makes a return. You can also learn new combos for your favorite characters, and there are new special attacks as well as you would expect. The newly introduced characters all feel really great to use, especially Jamie.

Street Fighter 6 is probably the most accessible and beginner-friendly fighting game I have ever encountered. It welcomes new players with a plethora of accessibility options, aside from the World Tour mode, which is a good way of introducing newcomers to the core mechanics.

There is also the new addition of Modern Controls, which basically simplifies the button layout and makes the game easier to learn. So you will have to press fewer buttons to generate combos and special attacks.

However, there are a few downsides to this control scheme as you can never fully utilize the maximum potential of a character. But it is still a great way of getting used to the game and enjoying casual matches with friends. And speaking of friends, Street Fighter 6 also features crossplay and has one of the best implementations of Rollback Netcode, which allows for seamless online play.

Street Fighter 6 features an updated art style that blends together traditional 3D models with animation that’s akin to brush strokes.

This game offers hassle-free multiplayer where you can play with friends on multiple platforms. Even in the rare moments where I or my opponent had around 200 ping, matches felt stable, and attacks were responsive to execute.

You can create a whole online lobby of friends, and various players can simultaneously battle each other instead of having to wait in line. You can also decide if you want to spectate or engage in the action yourself.

Additionally, your customized character can also be used to roam around in the online lobby when you’re looking to play with friends or want to do Competitive Matchmaking. 

Visuals And Performance

Street Fighter 6 features an updated art style that blends traditional 3D models with animation that’s akin to brush strokes. Each attack flows beautifully into another, and the particle effects on the special attacks are a sight to behold.

Some of the battle stages are also extremely well-designed, with an even better OST playing in the background. And there are a plethora of stages that you can choose from at launch. From crowded city streets to beautiful ancient temples, there’s a lot of visual variety on display here.

Street Fighter 6 features an updated art style that blends together traditional 3D models with animation that’s akin to brush strokes.

You will experience no performance issues during online matchmaking and Arcade mode. However, there are still some framerate drops in the World Tour, and it ruins the overall experience while engaging in fights in that mode. But those issues are only limited to World Tour mode, and these will probably get fixed in a future patch.

Verdict

Street Fighter 6 brings back the franchise from the dead and puts it back on the throne where it belongs. It excels in everything related to fighting and pure action and elevates the series to brand-new heights.

The Campaign mode may be mediocre, with poor storytelling, but that was to be expected. But it’s still a great way of pulling in new players, and the game is more accessible than any other in the genre. Online matchmaking on the other hand has been perfected here, and the addition of crossplay is just the cherry on top.

With the addition of modern controls, the game becomes fun to play even for newcomers, which is why we recommend that you check out Street Fighter 6 whether you’re an old-time fan or a newcomer looking to take their first steps.

This has been my Street Fighter 6 Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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