Street Fighter 6 Review: Big Slaps, Kicks, and Hits

Should I Buy It?

Powerbelly Verdict: Yes.

If you enjoy fighting games you will definitely enjoy Street Fighter 6. The game provides all of the standard fighting game options while also providing some RPG like elements in its world tour mode. The battle hub allows players to congregate while engaging in casual and ranked matches, and some of the custom battle modes allow players to experiment with fighting under different requirements and modes. Overall, there’s a lot of content to be engaged with and replay value is extraordinarily high.

Full Write-Up

A familiar formula with new tricks, tweaks, and personalized customization returns with Street Fighter 6.

It was 2016, COVID-19 wasn’t a thing, the economy was mostly stable, and those who revel in the fighting game genre were excited about the release of Street Fighter 5 (SF5). By all accounts, Street Fighter 5 was a huge let down. The game was barely playable upon release both in single player and multiplayer modes. SF5 lacked a story mode — most fighting games do, but upon release there was zero story. Although disappointing, Capcom made good for their faults by updating the game and adding a free story mode.

So when Street Fighter 6 was revealed in February of 2022 a lot of people were skeptical but also hyped. As more content was released about the game over the following months, it was clear that the quality of the game took center stage over everything else. Character models released showed progress, a fresh take, and clear attention to detail. The soundtrack was refreshing for the series by emphasizing 808’s and hip-hop style beats. Moves looked slick, and character designs were not too over the top.

Now that the game has been released, it’s clear that it is probably the best entry in the series.

Each edition of Street Fighter has some type of mechanism that sets it apart from other versions. Street Fighter 5 had the revenge gauge, Street Fighter 4 had focus attacks, and Street Fighter 3 introduced the parry system. In Street Fighter 6 the parry system is back, focus attacks and the revenge gauge have been fused into the drive gauge system, and all seems well and balanced so far. The drive gauge allows players to unleash powerful attacks, quickly approach their opponent, or parry enemy attacks. The drive gauge is essentially the stamina of your player, if it gets depleted you will no longer be able to utilize overdrive attacks, parry, or block strong hits. This leads to a ton of strategic planning when facing down opponents. You can be aggressive and use all of your gauge or be passive and allow it to be restored. It’s a fun way of inducing more strategy to each match.

Another thing to note with Street Fighter 6 is that the characters are balanced and all moves seem fair. Sure, JP, one of the new characters who is a shadowy ex-Shadaloo member, can spam his moves to an almost unfair degree but the player needs to be skilled enough to actually trap people in spam. Now, I might be wrong, but in previous games I remember projectile characters having an advantage, but that’s definitely not the case. The parry system allows projectiles to be brushed off while you approach your spammy opponent to deliver swift justice. Of course, there are favorable match-ups between characters, but no one can ever feel powerless. If you are struggling against Guile’s Sonic Booms, it’s not because Sonic Boom is an OP (overpowered) move, it’s most likely that you do not know how to deal with Sonic Boom spam (go under — it is safest. Go over if you can land without getting flip kicked). Each character brings a different way of fighting and a different way of assaulting your opponent.

World Tour mode is Street Fighter 6’s story mode/RPG. Players start this mode by creating a character and following along with a story that forces the player to confront martial arts masters like Ryu, Luke, Chun-Li, Guile, Marissa, E.Honda, and others. Players can customize their clothing and apparel to get boosts on stats and abilities, customize their fighting style based on their favorite master, build up their bond with masters to unlock alternative outfits, and fight with random strangers on the streets. It’s fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and provides hours of fun.

Multiplayer works well, even when the signal strength is deemed weak or low. I have yet to experience a laggy match although I have experienced some input lag that has put me at a disadvantage. It’s not perfect but it is definitely one of the best systems for online matches in a fighting game. I’ve had nothing but fun and the community is, for the most part, friendly and approachable. My only qualm is that it takes a while to get into ranked matches. I once waited almost 20 minutes during peak play times. Not a huge deal and players being available is completely out of the hands of the developer.

Wrap Up

Street Fighter 6 brings a plethora of new ways to play, revitalized characters, a perfected online, and a nice personalized story mode. The game is highly recommended and it’s expected that with updates coming out in the near future Street Fighter 6 will be a premiere fighting game for the foreseeable future. If you’re in the market for something that lets you throw combos, have a good time tossing around your enemies, and experimenting with different fighting styles, then Street Fighter 6 is the game for you!