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Some of my fondest gaming memories come from early Street Fighter games. So when I got the chance to play the upcoming Street Fighter 6 demo at EGX 2022, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

Gameplay

Within the game there are several modes to explore. Each offers exciting gameplay opportunities. While I didn’t get to briefly review all of them in the demo, the modes are:

World tour – A new single player story mode where you can create your avatar and fight against legends. Forge bonds, improve your skills and prove you have what it takes. What interests me about this mode is the promised level of customization around your avatar. Fighting styles, powers, clothing and even facial features can be customized to suit your style. Battles take place on the streets as you prove your worth, and you can learn moves and styles from the roster of Street Fighter legends. World Tour starts in Metro City and branches out worldwide from there.

Battle Hub – The Battle Hub allows you to interact with other players, battle other players, view older classic arcade games from Capcom, and much more. One Battle Hub can accommodate about 100 players at a time. You can also purchase cosmetic items to further change the look of your avatar.

Fighting Ground – This is where the tradition of local 1v1 or 1vAI fighting takes place. This mode also supports online, cross-platform play. In this mode, you can choose your fighter of choice, which control mode you want and select their outfit (as you would expect), and jump right into the fray. This is where the demo took place. So when I picked my favorite go-to since Street Fighter 2 (Chun-Li), I started to master Street Fighter 6.

The list of skills is extensive and there was a good mix of classic moves that I remember from previous iterations and some new ones too. The game was fast paced, but controls in both classic and modern modes were responsive. In this mode, there are additional features such as competitions with unique rules and training arenas.

Characters in Street Fighter 6

New characters for the game are Jamie, inspired by Yun and Yang (Street Fighter 3). Jamie uses the Drunken Fist (Zui Quan) fighting style and is an accomplished breakdancer. The drink in his pitcher is a medicinal tea and not alcohol! With smooth moves and epic combos, it was a lot of fun to play. Even if it is unknown. It’s always great to see a fighter with a new style.

Kimberly is also a new character for Street Fighter 6. While I didn’t test playing her directly, I did fight her. As a lover of 80’s pop culture you can see the references in her outfit. Her fighting style is Bushin-ryu Ninjutsu but with her own flair.

There will no doubt be others before the development process is complete and it will be interesting to see who else are added to the roster.

In addition to the new characters, there are also several returning veterans that you would expect: Ryu, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, E. Honda, Guile, Juri, Ken, Luke and more.

Images and audio

It’s more of a street setting, complete with vibrant graffiti art and loud music, and I have to say I was amazed at how the game looked. It was good, really good, and I can’t wait to see the final release. The possibilities looked spectacular with unparalleled attention to SFX. It was loud, lively and busy; everything you could want from a next-gen fighting game.

New Mechanics in Street Fighter 6

One of the most intriguing aspects of the latest version is the Drive Gauge. This is a meter that starts full as soon as the round starts. However, the more exotic the move you perform, the more of the meter will be spent and if you go too hard, too fast, it will be spent. Once spent, you’re at a major disadvantage in what’s called a “burnout phase.” Although the gauge is replenished over time, managing this gauge is critical to victory. By playing a few rounds, I quickly learned that combat is now much more tactical. Now the strategy is when to play carefully and when to explode in a flurry of great looking moves. I loved mastering this system as it gave the matches a whole new dimension!

Another new feature is the ability to switch between classic controls and modern controls. With modern controls, you can enjoy the full flow of combat without having to remember all those button combos. I tried this feature out and it certainly helped me remember who does what when I couldn’t necessarily remember the correct order of the buttons for the perfect combination! This is great for players who may be put off by memorizing complex combos.

Associated with this system is a collection of new moves that can deal astonishing damage or, if timed correctly, in the case of the Drive Parry, fantastic defensive abilities.

Timing is key, strategy is key, but when it works… it’s great fun.

Final thoughts and information on release

Maybe it’s because I won two of the three rounds, but I really enjoyed my time with Street Fighter 6. Visually it looks great and the controls seemed to respond well. Switching between classic mode (full nostalgia with control combos) and modern controls is a nice touch. The Drive Gauge is going to make things interesting too! Now it’s time to re-learn all those combos and get ready for this new era of a legendary franchise!

Street Fighter 6 is slated for release in 2023 and will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Read more on the official Street Fighter 6 website.