Vortex Gaming

The game that comes to mind when you think of fighting games, 'Street Fighter,' has returned with 6. Although it's a series with a long history and tradition, it has been a hot topic in many ways since its first reveal in February 2022, as it showed several unconventional aspects. Not only did everyone's familiar 'Ryu' suddenly appear with a beard, but instead of the traditional structure of 'Ryu' and his rival 'Ken,' it featured 'Luke' and the new character 'Jamie,' along with hip-hop style effects far from the classics. Fans welcomed these changes while also expressing concerns.

However, looking at the trend since its release, the changes Capcom chose have been receiving surprisingly positive reactions. Despite fighting action games being a genre that has been significantly pushed out of the mainstream compared to the past, it achieved the feat of surpassing 1 million users in just 3 days, and it continues to receive favorable reviews from both media and users. Some might suspect that only those who play fighting action games are evaluating it. However, 'Street Fighter 6' is a work that has reached the pinnacle of both groundbreaking attempts to solve the long-standing concerns of fighting action games and the completeness of a traditional fighting game, once again proving Capcom's prowess that has recently gotten back on track.

Advanced graphics and presentation that capture the theme and style

There have been cases where 2D fighting action games received negative reviews when transitioning to 3D, but the 'Street Fighter' series had already proven itself through its previous work, so that part was not a concern. From the very first reveal, it showcased well-refined character modeling, dynamic presentation, and unique and flashy effects reminiscent of graffiti, capturing the attention of users in a short amount of time. The question was what it would feel like in actual gameplay, and how the character designs, which had changed a lot, would be depicted.

Speaking of the changes in character design, it seems to be a choice that considers not only the depiction of a significant amount of time passing in the story but also the 'World Tour' mode, which will be explained in more detail later. The World Tour mode tells the story of a user-customized rookie fighter traveling through the Street Fighter world, where Street Fighter characters appear as mentors who teach the protagonist techniques. That's why the designs feel more mature than in the previous installments.

The composition of the main game, excluding the World Tour mode, hasn't changed dramatically, but since a mode that allows you to roam the streets of the Street Fighter world has been added, this installment seems to be tailored to that theme. From the moment you enter the game to the mode selection screen, it's filled with intense beats, graffiti-like background designs, and mode logos. It's full of imagery that naturally evokes the images that come to mind when you think of 'street fighting'.

This wasn't just limited to minor parts like the mode selection screen. It was already foreshadowed from the initial reveal that there would be such presentation in the game. The 'Drive Impact' system, with its intense scattering of colorful effects like drawing graffiti and bone-rattling impact sounds, is a good example of that. If it was just about giving a strong hitting feeling, the detailed changes in facial expressions and the heavy impact sounds visible during close-ups, as well as the powerful expressions of Super Arts, would have been enough.

However, the intense primary colors that come out when activating Drive Impact were so intense that you could guess the power and effect even before hitting. Primary colors usually have an image of being tacky or burdensome, but by exquisitely arranging various colors like graffiti, it captured both a flashy style and a strong impression. The effects could have obscured the hitting and being hit motions, but it captured the details of the facial expressions and the way the hit area rippled, creating a picture that looked painful. In addition, the fact that the stance changes depending on the character's attack in parries was also a point that increased immersion by capturing the details of actually fighting.

The stage details have also been upgraded, and the Super Arts have been enhanced to showcase the character's personality and create a dynamic presentation that makes them fun to use, but the UI was somewhat disappointing. The menu screen has good visibility but was criticized for being bland, while the sections for entering World Tour, Battle Hub, and Fighting Hub from the initial game screen had style but lacked immediate clarity about which mode was which. In particular, the newly introduced World Tour mode is designed based on the gamepad, making it somewhat difficult for keyboard users to use the world map and various menus, and the lack of explanation for the menus made it easy to get lost at first. It doesn't detract from the gameplay, but a minor mistake can determine the outcome in a high-score battle, so it's somewhat disappointing in that regard.

A complementary system that scratches the itch of beginners with surprising accuracy

As mentioned several times, fighting action games are a genre that is really difficult to get into. You might get your foot in the door because of the exciting impact, but the concept of 'commands' is unfamiliar to those who have never experienced it before. I even invited one of my friends to my house when I was younger to teach them a fighting action game, and when they asked, "Why does pressing the directional keys make the technique come out?", I had nothing to say. When you think about it, most other genres involve pressing multiple buttons together, or pressing a button only performs the function assigned to it. But in fighting action games, you have to press the directional keys in a certain way while pressing other buttons, or even time the order of pressing the buttons. Each game has evolved various systems to differentiate itself, so you have to learn them all separately.

Of course, you can 'dip your toes' into the genre once you get used to basic concepts like 'Shoryuken command', 'Hadoken command', and 'frame'. However, it's only possible to dip your toes in, and it's questionable whether you can settle in well. Each game has subtly different timings and judgments, and the basics for each character, as well as figuring out the national combos, are considered the 'entry' point.

Why would I bring up such a thing when the 'Street Fighter' series is the one that made the fighting action genre a worldwide hit, the series that established the aforementioned commands, and something that every gamer has heard of at least once? The truth is, assuming you know nothing about fighting action games, 'Street Fighter' is one of the series that is difficult to move from dipping your toes in to the so-called 'entry' level.

When you hear this, you might say, "What's so difficult about Hadoken Hadoken Shoryuken Shoryuken?", but when you move on to combos and other systems, you'll find that it doesn't work as well as you think. Even if you know Shoryuken or Hadoken, there are quite a few characters whose main commands are charge commands, which are difficult for beginners to handle, and there's also the so-called 'Screw Piledriver command'. In addition, the later entrants in the fighting action genre have adopted a 'pre-input' system that allows techniques to be executed immediately if you input them in advance, but the Street Fighter series is still the same as it was in the old days, and unlike the later entrants that roughly execute techniques even if the command input is off, it's strict in this regard as well. So, until you learn the timing and accurate command input by heart, it's difficult to connect combos, and you end up leaving for other series where something comes out even if you just mash buttons, and eventually get beaten up there as well. I've had the experience of trying to spread the word to increase the number of comrades and sacrifices (?) who would get beaten up by intermediate players together in the already small beginner pool, only to have them say, "I'd rather do something else" and run away.

Of course, this is a personal experience, so it's difficult to generalize, but anyway, it's not a good thing that these kinds of news keep adding up in the already high-barrier fighting action game genre. If the pool continues to narrow and remains a genre that only those who play it play, there is a risk that the genre itself will disappear into the annals of history.

To prevent this, recent fighting action games have been introducing beginner-friendly modes that simplify commands and allow combos to be connected naturally, and Street Fighter has also embraced this trend with the 'Modern Mode' this time. The key layout of Street Fighter, which utilizes a total of 6 buttons for light, medium, and heavy punches and kicks, has been replaced with light, medium, and heavy attacks, a special move button, and an assist button, making it easier to unleash combos.

Here, Capcom has gone one step further. They have not only simplified the steps from entry to intermediate, or the parts that intermediate players are struggling with, but have also meticulously analyzed the psychology of beginners, and have made efforts to completely overhaul the system itself to match it.

In fact, if you look at it broadly, it's not that they've overhauled it that much. It's just that they've applied concepts such as parries, easy counter systems, and super cancels, which are often seen in recent fighting action games, to Street Fighter. However, these systems have often used the 'special move' gauge that beginners commonly refer to. As fighting action games have evolved in a direction that pursues techniques for connecting combos and psychological warfare for reading and responding to those attempts, rather than a single big hit, it was a natural thing to do in that trend.

However, for users who haven't been following that trend and are coming back later, or for new users, it tends to act as another psychological barrier. The flashy presentation and power of super special moves are appealing, but the reality is that you have to suppress the desire to land a single hit with a super special move and focus on combo battles that require precise calculations down to the frame, which is a paradox. It's no wonder that users who aren't prepared for this leave. If you're going to lose anyway, you want to land a single, cool super special move, but that's difficult to do, and if you use the gauge elsewhere, you'll often run out of gauge at the timing you want to use it, resulting in a crushing defeat.

In that regard, Capcom's choice this time was so surprising that I wondered if a deep analysis of beginners' patterns had really been done properly. The super arts gauge at the bottom is recognized as a 'gauge used for special moves' and captures the psychology of beginners who feel reluctant to use it for other purposes, so it is only used for super special moves 'Super Arts'. Instead, the areas that those above beginners will use, such as guard, Drive Impact, EX, and Drive Rush, are concentrated in the 'Drive Gauge', encouraging more active and daring play.

The special move gauge, or Super Arts gauge, does not automatically recharge, so there is a large psychological burden to just throw it out there. However, the 'Drive Gauge', which is located in the same place as the guard gauge in other games, recharges automatically after a certain amount of time, so the burden is less. Therefore, the basic combo of parrying the opponent's starter with Drive Impact for a counter - medium attack or heavy attack assist combo depending on the Super Arts gauge is naturally accepted. In order to break through the starter, you have to cut down the special move gauge and counterattack, which is only possible by suppressing the urge to land a single super special move, which is not easy for beginners.

Of course, they have applied various penalties to prevent it from being used mindlessly. If you get hit by Drive Impact while the Drive Gauge is completely depleted, you will be stunned immediately, and since Drive Impact takes more than 20 frames, it will be countered by grabs or other countermeasures if you just throw it out there. However, those penalties are not easily noticeable to beginners. Anyway, you're going to get hit by a pro no matter what you do and you can't even guard, but you've definitely secured a way to land a solid hit if you manage to land a lucky punch. And by selecting risk factors that beginners don't think are very burdensome, they have maintained the unique risk management and psychological warfare of fighting action games while lowering the barrier to entry, showing a meticulously crafted design. This meticulousness may be the secret to surpassing 1 million connections.

Street fighting that is fun even if you don't know fighting games, 'World Tour'

When the word 'beginner-friendly' comes up in fighting action games, a cynical reaction usually follows. Since the main focus is on users competing with each other, the fact that it has become easier for beginners to get into means that pros can more easily and flawlessly execute combos like knives. Also, the fact that beginners have a way to land a hit on pros also means that there are more opportunities to completely block beginners from doing anything. However, they have managed to successfully implement it to some extent, just enough to give them some breathing room so that they don't just give up and get hit.

In the end, in order to keep those users playing, something new to enjoy is needed, not just 'learning by getting hit' or training mode. In that regard, fighting action games have been trying various things besides one-off story modes or survival modes where you keep defeating enemies and moving forward. Some have gained a positive response by adding elements from other genres such as RPGs or belt-scrolling action, but they were often considered mini-games that were not linked to the main game's system, so they quickly lost interest.

'World Tour' was different in that Capcom considered it one of the core contents of Street Fighter 6. It is a content that depicts the process of wandering the world of Street Fighter and growing your character into the strongest fighter, and it was announced that it would offer a variety of things to enjoy, such as fighting against strong enemies in various places or receiving teachings from characters from the original work.

Until now, most of the quest-like content that has been shown in fighting action games has been structured in such a way that you can only enjoy limited stories within a set framework, so I couldn't help but be skeptical about this. Fighting action games themselves are content that only utilizes extremely limited spaces, and since everything is designed accordingly, it would take the effort of making another game to implement the content to the extent that it gives you the feeling of traveling around that world.

'World Tour', which was created with such effort, felt more fresh and fun than any single-player content of any fighting action game I've enjoyed recently. Of course, it's not that the quality is insurmountable, or that it's completely original. To put it in an easy-to-understand way, 'World Tour' is a mode that adds an encounter method to an extremely limited field in Street Fighter. From the moment the protagonist, who joined PMC Buckler as a rookie, meets Luke and other strong people, trains, participates in tournaments to prove his strength, and uncovers the conspiracy that has fallen on 'Metro City', the series of processes is solved in an extremely familiar way.

As you can guess from the words 'Metro City', 'World Tour' was another masterpiece that contained homages and respect for Capcom's other masterpieces, including 'Final Fight', and even the style. From the fact that the former and current mayors are Mike Haggar and Cody Travers from Final Fight, to the knife throwing and firebomb throwing that run rampant in the process of sweeping through subway train cars full of enemies. It was familiar, but it felt like a different taste as it was newly contained within the framework of Street Fighter.

That's not to say that it was just about wandering around the streets, sticking with gangs who were picking fights, and being busy leveling up. Although the main character of the story is the user-customized protagonist, the character stories that have been mentioned only in a limited way in the stage format have been depicted in more depth through the structure of receiving teachings from Street Fighter characters and interacting with them. In addition, even if you stick to a certain character's style as the main one, you can combine your favorite techniques from other characters you've learned so far, not just the basics, but also special moves and Super Arts, to create your own style.

In addition, there was a meticulously crafted design with elements of growing through customization and skill upgrades, which are taboos in fighting action games, and a vast amount of sub-quests with small fun. Just looking at this, 'World Tour' was not just a mode of Street Fighter 6, but was good enough to be a standalone adventure game.

Of course, since it was planned as a mode of Street Fighter 6, it is difficult to give it that kind of evaluation if you separate it and look at it based on the standards of a standalone game. When you enter the battle mode, the graphics of Street Fighter 6 are excellent, but it was difficult to implement that in the open field, so there were often awkward parts that caught my eye while walking around. Not only the background, but also the characters' hair suddenly popping out between their hats, and the scenes of clothes fluttering often looked stiff. Even the fun of beating down thugs, violent interns, and accountants who suddenly rushed in as if they had been hit by a rage virus or T virus was only fun once or twice, and later I couldn't help but say, "Stop sticking to me."

Looking at the mobs that swarm in like that, you might naturally think of level-up grinding, but since 'World Tour' is another mode of Street Fighter 6, that's not necessarily necessary. It's just easier if you're at a high level, but the root of fighting action games, where you have to beat the enemy with 'skill', hasn't gone anywhere. However, they have prepared levels and equipment for users who have difficulty with that, and they have not simply ended it with grinding, but have guided them to discover hidden elements and feel another fun by clearing sub-quests in various parts of the map.

In addition, tips such as the Drive Rush system, which were not well introduced even in the main game's tutorial, were placed in various parts of the quest, and the details were designed to naturally increase the user's own control and game knowledge. Unlike the training of fighting action games, which is simply documented or seen as an example, or where you keep hitting the same scarecrow and memorizing it, it felt like learning in a street battle. It's not 100% perfect yet, but at least this attempt has become a good base for users who have avoided this genre because recent fighting action games are mainly mentioned for multiplayer, to naturally approach the 'Street Fighter' series.

Street Fighter 6 was already so well-made that I had a feeling that this was an amazing work even in the OBT stage. And the power of the official release stage was beyond imagination. The character design may have its pros and cons, but the graphics, style, and presentation that captured the theme of 'street fighting' in such an amazing way were pleasing to the eye throughout the play. It made me feel the charm and dynamism of fighting action games that make you feel the power of 1:1 battles in both sight and hearing.

Of course, users who have picked up this game with memories of the old arcade may feel unfamiliar and ask, "Why has it changed so much?". The times have changed so much, and the scenery of the streets has changed. The way of telling stories and characters has also changed. There was a time when the story of a secret organization holding a fighting tournament to plot a conspiracy appealed to the emotions of uncovering conspiracy theories and behind-the-scenes stories, but now that repertoire has come out so often that the excitement has faded, and the story in fighting action games has become a bland seasoning or a nuisance. And the scenes of learning techniques by looking at them with your eyes to avenge the coins that were beaten up by the pros who suddenly invaded and disappeared in the arcade mode are now difficult to see.

Capcom's move to catch such a trend was surprisingly sophisticated and meticulous. It showed a sense of incorporating modern sensibilities in graphics, style, and system, while also packing in elements that fans of that era would remember. In particular, the system and mode that were reorganized by penetrating the psychology of beginners were admirable. I felt like it scratched the itch that I had felt when I tried to recruit a friend who was always uninterested in fighting action games and failed, so the hope that recruitment would be possible again sprouted up again. Of course, there are characters that are difficult for beginners to deal with, but anyway, there is a definite way to set up and land a strong hit.

In addition, the 'World Tour', which shined with homages and respect for the world of Street Fighter and other classic games of its own from that era, added rich content and emotion. It has established itself as a core to take care of the problem of poor single-player content, which has been a chronic problem in recent fighting action games, and I wondered if the harmony between the original characters and the various modern styles could be so good. Considering that there have been controversies over the damage to the series' previous works or IPs in the West due to emphasizing unconventionality several times, it would be no exaggeration to say that 'Street Fighter 6' has not only become a gold tower of fighting action games, but has also shown a model answer on how to lead classic series. It is a masterpiece that has achieved everything: the basics as a game, respect for the classics and the modern era, while incorporating various styles and not excluding each other and fusing them well.

9.2

Street Fighter 6

streetfighter 6

• Graphics that capture both quality and style
• Flashy presentation that captures the theme and characteristics
• A system that has been supplemented to match the psychology of beginners
• Harmony of respect for the classics and various emotions
• World Tour with the feeling of going on a pilgrimage

• Still requires precise timing control
• Some technique explanations are missing at the beginning
• Graphics of the World Tour mode with poor details
• UI that only chooses one of visibility and style

리뷰 플랫폼: PC(1.0001)

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웹진 인벤윤서호 기자
2023-06-07