Street Fighter 6’s 18-character roster is brimming with personality

Capcom seems to be doing everything right for Street Fighter 6. Capcom offers a one-on-one fighter with a good RPG. They also have a set of useful training tools that are suitable for newcomers as well as veterans. And they’ve included a real arcade mode. It’s a far cry from the barebones, esports-focused launch state of Capcom’s last flagship fighting game effort, Street Fighter 5.

Recently, I dabbled in Street Fighter 6’s various modes, including the fun, Yakuza-like open-world exploration of World Tour, where players can take their custom character to the streets of Metro City and fight virtually any inhabitant there. It’s not as slick nor as pretty as Street Fighter 6’s other modes, but it is the most newcomer-friendly place to start; World Tour teaches players the most basic of fighting game basics before sending them off on a meet-and-greet adventure with the Street Fighter cast. It’s also where players can make their ideal fighter, or their weirdest — Capcom offers immense anatomical liberties with character creation in SF6.

Capcom

The mode I spent the most time in, and the one I can’t stop thinking about, was Street Fighter 6’s Fighting Ground, playing against Polygon executive editor Chelsea Stark in casual 1v1 fights. We got to play around with the SF6 roster — 18 fighters at launch — and it feels almost impossible to pick a favorite.

Every character is recognizable in this movie Street Fighter 6 roster is alluring, whether that’s a classic character like Ryu or Chun-Li, who feel immediately familiar and newly refined, or fresh faces like Marisa (a hulking Italian kickboxer) and JP (a vascular dandy who might as well be a wizard). These characters are full of personality. Marisa is a hulking Italian kickboxer who rivals Zangief in both size and pride. Yet, she delicately takes her defeated opponent away at the end. JP has a refined sense of style, and he appears to have Psycho Power. He steps over his enemies when he wins.

The fight between style and personality is a classic example of how to end a fight. Street Fighter 6. For example, in addition to the post-fight flare, it also gives fighters proper WWE style entrances and allows them to mock each other before a match. Capcom showed off that feature, called Game Face, quite some time ago, and after toying with it, it feels infinitely entertaining to see the game’s World Warriors grimacing, growling, and sticking their tongues out at each other. Capcom has added hundreds of thoughtful touches to the game, including Game Face. Street Fighter 6The goal is to bring back the fun of fighting games for all.

Street Fighter 6The roster of fighters is diverse. There are big bruisers such as Zangief, Marisa and Cammy fighting with speedy fighters Kimberly and Cammy. Kimberly can teleport using her modernized version of ninja smoke bombs — spray-paint cans — and she feels like she’ll be a real weapon in the hands of fighting game pros. She can use her rushdown ability to sprint and act unpredictably at the opponent, and then follow up with moves such as slide kicks or jumping leg grabs.

Capcom managed to give new life to veteran characters like Dhalsim Honda Blanka. They all feel true to themselves. Street Fighter 2The updated versions are more in line with their original designs. Dhalsim looks more rubbery and terrifying than ever before, Honda moves and looks like a sumo wrestler, while Blanka is equal parts man-and-wild beast. Capcom has amplified the character designs and personality traits of Street Fighter’s veteran cast to their peak, but somehow managed to not turn them into caricatures of themselves.

Capcom

No member of the cast — which also includes returning fighters Ryu, Ken, Guile, Juri, and Dee Jay — seems to have been overlooked. Whether it’s new looks that distinguish them from past versions, like Street Fighter 6’s default “Hot Ryu” and “Hobo Ken,” or newly polished move sets, Capcom appears to have taken the “there’s something for everyone” approach not just to game modes and features, but to the characters themselves.

Street Fighter 6World Warriors will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X from June 6. At least four more characters are planned to join the game as downloadable content in the game’s first year, including Akuma (who debuted in Super Street Fighter 2 TurboEd, (the first gameable character) Street Fighter 5Rashid, (also from Street Fighter 5AKI, a newly-developed fighter.