Street Fighter 6: Capcom restores the image of its popular franchise

2023-06-11 04:00:00

Seven years after its disappointing fifth installment, the saga Street Fighter finds (finally!) its letters of nobility with a sixth entry resolutely more beefy, ambitious and complete. In short, the game that early fans have been waiting for a long time.

Anyone who has ever had a video game console controller in their hands is familiar with the world of Street Fighter. If it was in 1987 that Capcom laid the foundations of this video game empire, it was only four years later that it became legendary.

The names of its protagonists – Ken, Ryu, Chun Li, E. Honda, Blanka, Dhalsim, Guile and Zanguief – then quickly became part of popular culture, the mere mention of them still bringing players back to the misty alleys of the arcades today. of their childhood.

Even before the arrival of Mortal Kombat, Tekken, SoulCalibur and others Killer Instinctfighting game fans now had their first real icons, transported as much to consoles as to movies, TV, and the pages of graphic novels, manga, and comics.

The enthusiasm for the universe of Street Fighter However, it slowly faded over the years, drowned by the sea of repetitions and reissues, forcing the saga to stand still for too long… until today.

Car yes Street Fighter 6 Obviously takes up the main mechanics and aesthetics proven over its previous chapters, it feels like a breath of fresh air for anyone who had more or less lost hope in Capcom’s flagship franchise (group whose author of these lines part).

Familiar faces

It is therefore with an impressive stable of 18 fighters that Street Fighter returns to us today, a few icons of the series alongside a handful of new faces. And these new characters undoubtedly have the mouth and the necessary gab to carve out a place of choice in the hearts of the players; in no case do they allow themselves to be eclipsed by the sure values, here named Ken, Ryu, Chun Li or Cammy.

As for these veterans, they are not left out; we gave them a makeover perfectly balanced, halfway between tradition and renewal which brings them nicely into the modern era. In short, it is with a happy mixture of tradition and novelty that we rediscover them, and this for our greatest pleasure.

Less compelling plot

Ce Street Fighter 6 is so sturdy, however, that some may find it, at first glance, intimidating. With its different game types, challenges, online battles, training rooms, tournaments, and traditional “adventure” mode, it can be hard to decide where to start.

If each of these options is perfectly valid, the plot is probably the least successful. The fights are addictive, of course, but the story is more anecdotal than interesting with its wobbly narration and its rough writing.

We gave it a chance for the purposes of this review, we quickly chose to cut it short to get into the heart of the game – the slights – without all the frills. And that’s where Street Fighter 6 really amazes. It’s rhythmic, it’s exciting, it’s colorful.

Improved fights

But it is above all more intuitive and fluid than before with a new key configuration option. The so-called classic controls are still accessible, but a modern configuration greatly simplifies the handling of the controller.

First-time fans will therefore be happy to find all the elements that made the saga famous. Street Fighter, but without the pitfalls of the previous chapters. As for the new generation of players, they will finally have the opportunity to properly initiate themselves into the legendary franchise, here at its peak. The two clans are therefore, for once, winners.