Yesterday, Capcom’s mysterious countdown announced the development of Street Fighter 6 and dropped a teaser trailer featuring the iconic Ryu engaging Luke Sullivan, the newest challenger to step into the streets of fighting.
Amidst the hype, there were also a lot of questions and concerns. Notably, the community did not respond well to the overly simplistic logo for the game, which did away with the iconic orange and yellow brush stroke title.
This, along with other aspects shown in the teaser trailer, gives us an idea for which direction the series is headed.
Simple logos, simple gameplay?
This is not the first time a logo has seen a visual reduction. Guilty Gear Strive abandoned their usual high-impact, colourful themes for something subtle and minimalistic.
Strive differed greatly from previous entries, to the point that it played like an almost entirely new game. Characters had longer delays between actions, air movement was reduced and characters had less ‘gatling’ routes (attacks that could chain into each other) slowing down the pace of gameplay.
This was done to ease newer players into the franchise whilst pushing the game to a more ‘tactical’ playstyle by emphasizing spacing, positioning and attack choice (aka ‘footsies’).
This formula brought great success to Guilty Gear, even winning it Best Fighting Game at the 2021 Game Awards.
Thus, the similar change in logo may mean that Street Fighter is going to see a similar departure from its roots, heralding a new direction of the fighting game genre.
Old vs New
Speaking of departure, the teaser features Luke Sullivan, who was the final DLC character to be added to Street Fighter 5. This is a departure from the usual rivalry we see in Street Fighter.
Why is Ryu not fighting Akuma or Ken, the traditional rivals from the franchise? This is because the teaser is symbolic of a new generation. Luke represents those who do not have a history with Street Fighter and his defiance and equal opposition show that veterans may be tested by newcomers.
The Engine
Fans noted that the character models were extremely detailed. Specifically, skin textures, light shaders and even sweat droplets convincingly conveyed Ryu’s fighting spirit.
Capcom is no doubt using their hi-definition “RE engine” that has already seen success in Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter Rise.
The visual style and design share striking resemblance especially to Devil May Cry 5, which had pseudo-realistic graphics alongside bombastic special effects. If Street Fighter were adopt this new style, it’d be like as Dante would say, “cuh-rayzee!”
The Talent
In relation to crazy, high-octane action games, Yusuke Hashimoto, (Bayonetta 2 Director, God Hand VFX Lead) will be one of the game designers working on the game.
Games like Bayonetta and God Hand feature comparatively darker aesthetics, so Hashimoto’s involvement means that Capcom is specifically looking to shift Street Fighter’s visual style.
In fact, we already see it in action from the teaser trailer, which replaces the liquid paint-like ‘ki’ energy with sharp, flowing winds.
Do agree with my analysis? What do you think about the supposed new direction for Street Fighter 6? Go wild with your thoughts down the comment box! Also, join our Discord and discuss all things gaming and entertainment with the All Maverick team and community!
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