Street Fighter 6 Preview – Like A Dragon Punch

Street Fighter 6 features thrilling 1v1 battles but its World Tour Mode is one of the most interesting. In a demo, players got a glimpse of this single-player sandbox mode. It’s a major departure from what Street Fighter has previously offered. On a trip to Capcom’s U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, I ventured beyond the demo for a more comprehensive look at what World Tour has to offer.  

World Tour provides players with powerful tools to create a customized fighter and then bring them into the streets of Metro City, among other locations. The ultimate journey of creating the ultimate World warrior. It stopped after Chapter 1. I could play until the start of Chapter 3 

Upon starting my adventure, I’m tickled by World Tour’s almost Like a Dragon-esque absurdity. The game allows you to challenge any citizen to a fight (without loading screens), and earn XP or other rewards. Sometimes, I was targeted by feckless hoodlums like the Mad Gear Gang of Final Fight, who would fight me with robots that looked similar to Roombas and other nonhuman opponents. World Tour doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest, and it’s better for it. 

Metro City was larger and more detailed than I anticipated, despite some sections being inaccessible during my preview. Don’t expect a massive space; what I played feels closer to exploring an average-sized chunk of Like a Dragon’s Kamaroucho in scale. Metro City is a city with many streets and hidden passageways. There are even rooftops that can be explored by using ladders. While most of the NPCs aren’t anything to write home about, the world looks pretty nice, which is impressive given that this is ultimately a side dish to Street Fighter 6’s main offerings. 

To improve my abilities, I need to become a student of main characters. Those who played the demo began under Luke’s tutelage, allowing them to adopt his moveset, including special attacks. The Chapter 2 task is to find Chun Li and study with her. After finding the legendary warrior, I am surrounded with her pupils. Chun-Li challenges me to fight them in order to get her to agree to be my teacher. My disciples are humiliated by me, and they graciously offer to teach me more after I punch them. A fun minigame I played required me to destroy wooden boards held up by four opponents standing on their shoulders. It appears that minigames such as these can be used to earn Zenny. 

Chun Li welcomes me into her school and gives me her Kikoken and Spinning Bird Kick. As you learn from new teachers, you will have more special and movesets to choose from. Your proficiency also increases. Completing missions for your teacher raises your bond with them, and you’ll learn more personal stories about them over time. Bring them consumables like health- and stats-boosting items, as well as gifts you’ve purchased at vendors. 

Additionally, you can use a character’s signature move for exploration. Spinning Bird Kicks were used to break down physical barriers like barrels and crates to reveal hidden areas. World Tour is a great place to explore, as there are many rewards, secret cameos and funny oddities scattered throughout its streets. The Watcher is a Capcom-themed hero who is incredibly ridiculous. She gives me advice on the importance of justice and rewards my attention with an energy drink. On a corner I defeated the Chun-Li Cosplayer Chuli, and got red dye for my outfits. Collecting clothing from chests or defeated opponents or buying them in stores raises your character’s stats RPG-style. It feels strange to worry about what beanie to wear so that my avatar can punch a little better in a fighting game, but I’m always up for playing goofy dress-up. 

Chun-Li then asks me to speak with Li-Fen. She is a tech-savvy student who might be too preoccupied by her hacking computer to concentrate on combat. Li-Fen gives me the task of killing members of Canary Crate, a violent gang of buffoons wearing cardboard boxes as hats. They’re not far from me and are easy to spot, but as I approach, they attempt to take cheap shots by throwing roundhouse kicks and punches as I pass. This gives me the advantage during the ensuing fight. 

World Tour feels like a fun diversion from Street Fighter 6’s main offerings that leverages its characters and universe in a cool way. I’m curious to see how it evolves; does every teacher feature unique missions for earning a place in their school? Are there any easter-eggs or familiar faces? How does this adventure factor into Street Fighter 6’s other plot threads? I still have some questions but so far, World Tour is scratching an itch I’ve had for an open-world fighting game story since finishing Mortal Kombat: Deception’s Konquest mode nearly 20 years ago, and I’m excited to take my fighter on what’s shaping up to be an absurdly goofy adventure.