CHENNAI: I take issue with a very specific feature of the recent Street Fighter games which is that it now supports cross-platform play. This means that a person sitting with PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller with haptic feedback and dynamic trigger capabilities, could in theory play with an idiot (me) on her wireless mechanical keyboard. I understand that this now democratises the game, allowing you to play with people anywhere. It was the inevitable step. But the traditionalist in me is not convinced the games work in that new context. There’s just something more fundamentally fun about the physical aspect of two friends sitting on a sofa, violently punching buttons on a controller.
But I acquiesce with these changes and use mnemonic devices to commit the keyboard controls to long-term memory. To lure in new players, Street Fighter 6 introduces an “easier” set of controls which might be jarring to people playing SF since generation 0. It means that all those complicated combos that come so instinctively to seasoned players are now overhauled by these single-button presses for special attacks. This places newcomers at almost equal footing in online gameplay in this series. However, I’ve noticed it also means that experienced players take advantage of these easier controls and to easily overpower new players. I speak with experience.
The truth is, I would never have been the ideal audience for the online aspects of the game. So let’s turn to the other two modes available in Street Fighter 6.
In a strange new upgrade that feels out-of-character with the rest of the series, the World Tour mode lets you go crazy with character customisation before dropping you into a seemingly open-world adventure. I can now walk around the streets and, much like the CEO of a major tech-company, challenge anyone I meet to a fight.
It feels pretty divorced with the Street Fighter I grew up with but it was fun in it’s way. The final mode, arcade, holds the true soul of a game. A relic of the past, it’s a reminder of why we play this series, beloved characters destroying each other in a variety of environments.
Street Fighter 6 was released in June 2023, and is currently available to play on the PlayStation, Xbox, and the PC.