Street Fighter 6, what can we expect from the next Capcom fighting game?
Street Fighter 6
Considering its rough start, Street Fighter V's current state is half a miracle. Update after update and edition after edition, the game has recovered completely, capturing an increasingly large audience and consolidating itself as the backbone of modern eSports. Of course, the system chosen initially has dissatisfied many longtime fans, however it is undeniable that, after Ono's departure, the Japanese software house has resumed the reins of the brand with some strength, so much so that the potential for a chapter the future finally seems to be remarkable.In particular, recently, the plethora of additional characters inserted into the game have hinted at a general willingness to experiment. Not only with the original combat system, but also with other formulas (one of the new entries is Akira by Rival Schools, to name one).
The most important arrival, however, was the last: Luke, a very American blond warrior, who the developers have already confirmed to be part of the roster of the next Street Fighter. And Luke has not only changed the competitive scene, but with his entry into the scene he represents a remarkable lead to follow in understanding what Capcom wants to do with Street Fighter VI.
We, obviously intrigued, have tried to imagine what can we expect from Street Fighter 6 by analyzing the above information and the style of our friendly soldier. We hope we've caught a few, but be sure to let us know what your predictions are in the comments.
A revolution in the roster?
Street FIghter VI: Luke is a probable clue of what we will see in the future The first "prediction" concerns the roster, which could in all honesty follow a similar path to that seen with Street Fighter III (although more precisely close to the 3rd Strike). The story of Street Fighter V takes place before the 3rd Strike, therefore it is reasonable to think that the sixth chapter will be the one that is later chronologically and therefore we will see a major renewal of the roster. But if you know the history of the series, you will certainly know that the choice to make the third main Street Fighter a sort of blank slate did not go down to the fans, forcing Capcom at some point to re-insert iconic characters like Ryu, Ken and Chun Li into the game. (with all due respect to the initial intentions). We therefore believe that Street Fighter VI will do the same, with a handful of inevitable warriors to pass the baton and then a list of "successors" designed to completely renew the experience and break away from pre-existing styles.The same Luke, in his story mode, stands as a sort of direct successor to Guile, and it wouldn't surprise us to see a return of Sean (hopefully in better shape), or others replaced by the similar concept. The presence of multiple dark points related to the narrative of Street Fighter V, however, could guarantee the return of mysterious characters such as G (whose background is still nothing short of mysterious, not counting the possible connections with Q), or lead to a mixture of creatively exploited antagonists, from Bison to Gill's Illuminati (perhaps without the latter controlling them).
If you evaluate the fanbase's attachment to well-known names in the fighting series, this type of move It always represents a risk from a commercial life point of view, yet in our opinion it makes perfect sense. It's time for some serious upheaval in Street Fighter, and we sincerely believe that the willingness to make Luke available ahead of time is also a way to make the transition from one chapter to another less traumatic for fans.
King of Street Fighters
Street Fighter VI: if Akira has arrived in the V, who knows that there are no other important guests A broad analysis of Luke's skills would also suggest big changes to the combat system, and to be exact, a possible approach to another historical series of fighting games: King of Fighters. Warning, we do not sincerely believe that Street Fighter VI will forcefully move towards the technicalities and advanced execution of SNK's works; the modern trend for most developers of this genre has been to aim for greater accessibility, and we don't think Capcom wants to suddenly abandon this design philosophy altogether. However, many longtime players have criticized - more than justified in the early stages - some choices of Street Fighter V, and we would not be surprised by a system with a greater number of offensive and defensive options, as well as extra maneuvers.As mentioned, Luke could be an interesting introduction to the new system. The fighter has many moves that move him forward with some speed, and this could indicate a willingness to focus on a freer and faster form of movement in the next game, perhaps with a command dodge similar to that of the King of Fighters. . Not only that, Luke has loadable specials, and a V-trigger that allows him to cancel them together with a kind of "rekka" system. The presence of specials with modifiable times offers a greater variety of offensive rhythm, but at the same time complicates the execution of combos, and we would not be surprised if in the next Street Fighter the "upgradeable" special moves at the expense of speed were many (if not even a basic mechanic for each character linked to specific attacks).
Street Fighter VI: Luke may not be a design masterpiece, but it's really fun to use Sure, these are just guesses, and it's almost impossible to guess at the moment accurately what fundamental systems the game will field. A greater general complexity, however, would be appreciable, just as we would not mind a greater emphasis on specials and their creative use. Who knows if the variation of moves linked to the V-triggers will not be recovered in some way, even if perhaps with fewer limitations. Correlating these "upgrades" to the super bar could be an idea (although adjusting everything is not at all easy).
The only other certainty? Capcom will not abandon the eSports scene, also because it is largely thanks to the one that Street Fighter V has revived in its darkest period. And Luke is also a symbol of this choice: aside from a rather atrocious art direction (and we hope this will be pleasant in the next title), the boy wears the colors of the Capcom Cup. There will be a lot of emphasis on competitive online also in the sixth chapter, perhaps supported finally from a netcode rollback done as it should (now a sort of must have for fighting games) and from a better designed structure from the start. A roster of at least twenty fighters at launch, for example, would certainly not make us sick.
Observing the progress made by Capcom in the last years of Street Fighter V and the interesting experiments related to the latest characters gives us hope for the next chapter. Luke is undoubtedly a curious clue as to what will come in the future, and who knows that Capcom can't really find the perfect balance between accessibility and complexity of systems that can satisfy everyone. Whatever the truth, however, news about the game should arrive this year. We just have to wait.
