Street Fighter 6 might have had a bumpy introduction thanks to its lackluster logo but going hands-on with the latest in Capcom’s fighting game franchise should wash away any concerns. At Summer Game Fest, Game ZXC was able to try out four of Street Fighter 6’s playable characters in a number of fighting game sessions, and needless to say, the experience was impressive.

The Street Fighter 6 demo on-hand at Summer Game Fest featured four playable characters: Ryu, Chun-Li, Luke, and Jamie. While Ryu and Chun-Li might be familiar to longstanding fans of the franchise whereas Luke is a relatively new addition from SF 5’s DLC and Jamie is totally brand new. Ryu and Chun-Li sport their signature move set (hadoukens, lightning kicks, and the like) and were easy to pick up and play right off the bat.

Luke is more of a brawler, where punch combos can be extremely devastating, and kicks are used to open an opponent up. Jamie, on the other hand, feels like Street Fighter’s version of Eddie Gordo from Tekken, using a combination of breakdancing and some outlandish movements to fight. Regardless of how SF purists might feel about Jamie’s addition – or at least his reveal before other more essential fighters – it’s hard to deny his move set isn’t eye-catching, made even more so by his long ponytail.

As one might expect out of a first demo, each of the four playable fighters highlighted a different playstyle in Street Fighter 6. They were mostly familiar archetypes seen countless times in the series, but there was enough on-hand to give players a sense of the larger tone Capcom is going for. It was less about confirming Ryu and Chun-Li feel like they should – although that is confirmed – but highlighting some other ways the fighting game is evolving in its 6th entry.

The game is very smooth to play, either on a controller or a fight stick. The characters feel tangible on the screen and their hits land with a satisfying weight to them. Granted, this was a LAN setting, so latency wasn’t an issue, but Street Fighter 6 feeling good is one of the key aspects necessary for its success.

In terms of its visuals, Street Fighter 6 is not looking to reinvent the wheel but is still very sharp. The design of Chun-Li does lean more mature than the innocent fighter seen in past entries, but the game isn’t going for over-the-top realism either. There were two stages available for the demo – one a back-alley brawl area with “wannabe fighters” cheering in the background and the other a Japanese-inspired stage with Torii gates and cherry blossom trees.

Perhaps the most eye-catching element of Street Fighter 6 is the way it puts splashes of color on the screen anytime a fighter uses a Drive Impact. Not only do these moves make a splashy pattern on the screen, but they also leave literal paint on the ground for just a brief moment. The moves aren't flashy enough to be distracting but they certainly look cool.

Alongside a new visual style, Street Fighter 6 is also trying to mimic the fighting game community scene with “live commentary.” Essentially, these commentators will react to each fighter’s choices and even make suggestions based on different strategies. There were only a couple of casters available in the demo, but it seems like Capcom is going to try to incorporate a lot of familiar voices if it can. It adds a new personality to the fights and is totally optional, but as an initial gimmick it seems to work well.

Street Fighter 6 looks great and plays great, but there is one trick up the title’s sleeve that could be a game-changer. The option to switch between a Classic or Modern control scheme offers new players the ability to pump out cool combos without memorizing any complex inputs. All they need to do is hold a specific button and press another button, and any character will use some of their signature moves.

This option should go a long way towards increasing the accessibility of Street Fighter 6 among non-fighting game fans, but it isn’t without some caveats. The main issue is that it isn’t always clear what combos or moves the fighter will do, which makes things a bit unpredictable. Players that can more confidently execute combos will want to stick to Classic mode, and eventually newcomers will find themselves drifting in their direction as well. But as a beginner’s option, the Modern control scheme should help invite more players into the fighting game fold.

For a first impression, Street Fighter 6 did not disappoint. The four playable fighters offered a sampling of the styles that Capcom will no doubt expand upon as more and more fan-favorite characters join the roster. Controlling each fighter felt smooth and there was a nice weight to their punches and kicks. And the Modern control scheme option, while not entirely new, felt like it will allow more players to get in on the action. There’s still obviously a lot more to cover for Street Fighter 6 in the run-up to launch, but Capcom is headed in the right direction.

Street Fighter 6 will release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.