Street Fighter 6’s simpler Modern control scheme explained

Fighting games can be difficult for those not familiar with them. Street Fighter’s inherent complexity is what makes it so popular among fighting game enthusiasts. This makes it hard for casual players to learn complex combinations and counters, but it is also difficult to get started. Street Fighter 6’s answer to this conundrum is a new “Modern” control scheme that Capcom hopes will lower the game’s barrier to entry and let players of all skill levels jump right in and feel competitive.

Street Fighter 6’s Modern controls basically halve the number of buttons the player needs to worry about for basic inputs, while assigning certain essential functions to their own dedicated buttons. Rather than having six separate buttons for light, heavy, and medium kicks and punches, the simplified control scheme puts light, medium, and heavy attacks on the controller’s face buttons. Modern controls allow for more precise control. This attacks their fighter uses with each input — you can’t choose between a heavy punch or a heavy kick, for example. Instead, when you press the heavy attack button, the game chooses for you based on what character you’re using.

The fourth face button is dedicated to each character’s special attacks, which will vary depending on which direction you’re pushing the control stick, not unlike in the Super Smash Bros. series. This makes flashy specials easier without having to learn complicated combos and pinpoint timing. You can perform super attacks by pushing the special and heavy buttons together.

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The triggers are also easy to comprehend. Grab attacks are assigned to L2 (when using a PlayStation controller), while L1 executes “Drive Impact” attacks that use up your Drive meter, one of Street Fighter 6’s other new features. These attacks are powerful, but if you use up your entire Drive meter, you won’t be able to enter parry stance — which is assigned to R1. This stance will cause your character’s blue energy to explode, blocking all attacks (except grab attacks). It doesn’t require precise timing. You can also use this to drain your Drive meter. However, it will quickly refill it if you block any attacks. Holding R2 while pressing the buttons on the face will perform various preset combos, without you needing to input more complex inputs.

While less precise control may not be the best option for high-level players, the Modern scheme can still provide players with a more controlled experience. A Capcom representative told Polygon that the Modern scheme can act as a stepping stone for players to eventually adopt the “Classic” controls; for example, while Modern controls let you use grab attacks with L2, you can also use grab attacks by pressing the same combination of buttons as in the Classic scheme. This allows players to work at their own speed and stick mostly with the Modern style while learning more complicated inputs.

“We want to have many more ways to play and have anyone from all skill levels, whether you’re an esports competitor, to even a first-time fighter,” said Jackie Simmons, senior brand manager working on Street Fighter, during a recent hands-on event with Street Fighter 6. Simmons stated that while she likes Modern controls, others in her team prefer the Classic system. Yet she feels like she’s able to go toe-to-toe with them.

In actuality, the demo was against a more experienced opponent. We used the traditional gamepad and our opponent used a battle stick to switch between Classic and Modern controls. While our opponent won more rounds overall, we were able to win some. We could switch between different characters like Ryu and Jamie. The more nuanced aspects of each character, from their varied move sets to specific character traits like Jamie’s drunkenness system, are all still in play, and will take practice to master no matter what control scheme you prefer — as will the new Drive system, which adds strategic layers to each fight.

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Classic control gives players greater flexibility and more control over the attacks they use. This will give them an advantage over less skilled opponents. High-level players can also be more successful against those who use Modern controls. The Modern scheme limits the attacks that each character is allowed to access.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Capcom has attempted to add a simplified control scheme to the series. Capcom vs. SNK2 EO And Street Fighter 43D EditionSimilar concepts were tried and tested, but with different results. This could be where the features really stick.

“[The developers] have taken the input and feedback from people who aren’t as experienced in fighting games, as well as having people that were ex-competitors/ex-FGC members, playing on both sides to kind of have this balancing act in terms of gameplay,” Simmons said. “You don’t have to panic as a first-time fighter and go straight to button mashing. You actually feel like you’re interacting in the game.”

Street Fighter 6It will arrive sometime between 2023 and 2024. Capcom’s new fighting game is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.