Capcom recently announced Street Fighter 6, the latest mainline entry in its popular fighting series. The game, which will feature both new and returning characters, will introduce a number of new elements and mechanics to the classic Street Fighter formula. One brand-new feature fans will be able to experience in Street Fighter 6 is a single-player adventure mode, distinct from the games' usual series of battles with minimal to no exploration between them. Some are excited for this new mode, while others remain unsure, as it represents a major departure from the norm for Street Fighter.
Officially known as "World Tour," this adventure mode allows players to create their own custom character and explore Metro City, as well as other currently unrevealed locations. The story will focus on the player character's attempts to establish their own legacy within the Street Fighter world. According to information previously revealed regarding Chun-Li and other returning characters, Street Fighter 6 is confirmed to take place after Street Fighter 3, finally advancing the universe's timeline after several interquels. It is rumored that the player character may have to deal with the Illuminati as well as the scattered remnants of the villainous M. Bison's forces. If done well, this "World Tour" mode could make an amazing addition to the game and the series as a whole.
Include Varied Types of Battles
True to the series' title, Street Fighter 6's adventure mode will feature the player character getting into a variety of fights as they travel around Metro City. Although no details have yet been revealed, fans theorize that fighting will be necessary to both progress World Tour's main story line and complete optional side content. If every fight is an identical, 1-v-1 matchup, this could quickly become tedious for players. Instead, the adventure mode should embrace the variety inherent in actual street fights. For example, players could have to take down groups of Illuminati or other villains in challenging 1-vs-many matches. Alternately, players could be able to switch from their custom character and step into the shoes of returning favorites such as Ryu or Guile.
Dive Deep Into Setting and Character Lore
Nearly every playable character in the Street Fighter series has at least something of a backstory, including where they hail from, how they got involved in the fights, and how they trained or developed their distinctive fighting style. Previous games have made attempts to flesh out the world's backstory and follow several plot threads, such as Ryu's journey from student to master and the seemingly never-ending struggle against the villainy of M. Bison. "World Tour" mode in Street Fighter 6 provides the perfect opportunity to further explore these rich settings and build relationships between characters while exploring their stories and motivations.
There are many ways that an adventure and exploration focused mode, especially an open world one as "World Tour" is rumored to be, can provide players with plenty of new lore. Everything from conversations between characters to readable signs, books, and posters can help fans learn more about the world and make it feel lush and rich rather than shallow and empty. Individual, character-focused quests and missions could help to develop newbies such as fresh face Jamie and Luke, whose cocky attitude and appearance as the final DLC character for Street Fighter 5 did not earn him much popularity with fans.
Introduce New Gameplay Elements That Aren't Just Fights
Of course, Street Fighter 6 should, at its core, remain a fighting game about the battles the player character and others have to embark on as they explore the world and compete in tournaments. However, if "World Tour" mode is going to be as open and expansive as Summer Game Fest footage seemingly implies, having nothing available to do but fighting could be seen as repetitive and bland. Instead, Street Fighter 6's adventure mode should embrace the style of other adventure titles and add non-fighting gameplay elements such as collectibles and side quests that involve finding objects or talking to certain characters rather than just slugging it out.
The few shots fans have seen so far of Metro City in the adventure mode are pretty impressive, but one of the most frequent complaints regarding large video game worlds is how they can be pretty and visually impressive but lack enough to do, leaving players feeling unsatisfied. Already, Capcom developers working on the project have insisted that "World Tour" mode is the size of a full game on its own, potentially indicating that it has learned from its mistakes with Street Fighter 5, which was declared 'bare bones' and lacking content on release. If Street Fighter 6 can provide a rich, living world with a mix of fights, character scenes, lore information, and other gameplay elements, it has a strong chance to be received positively by fans and seen as an improvement over its predecessor.
Street Fighter 6 will be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
