As much as I’ve tried, traditional 2D fighting games have always been a challenge for me to grasp. While I’ve managed to navigate through the fast-paced battles of Super Smash Bros., I’ve struggled to hold my own in King of Fighters XV matches online. The issue lies in the way these games teach their intricate mechanics within a lightning-fast tutorial, bombarding players with a multitude of moves and strategies in just a few minutes. Without practical context, retaining all that information becomes a daunting task.
However, Street Fighter 6 has finally found a solution to this problem, thanks to its exceptional World Tour mode. At first glance, World Tour may seem like a substantial single-player experience for players to explore between matches. But for casual players like me, it serves a more crucial purpose: it’s the most comprehensive and effective fighting game tutorial ever created.
Learning the Art of Battle
World Tour mode is an ambitious addition to Street Fighter 6, offering a full-fledged action RPG experience reminiscent of classic Yakuza games. Players traverse Metro City and other locations in a visually stunning 3D environment, engaging in intense 2D battles along the way. This immersive campaign takes over 15 hours to complete, featuring RPG elements ranging from character stats to skill trees. It truly elevates Street Fighter 6 into a fully fleshed-out game from day one.
When I first received my review copy of the game, I immediately delved into World Tour mode. I saw it as an opportunity to master the fundamentals of fighting in a low-pressure environment before venturing into online battles. And while it certainly served that purpose, World Tour goes one step further. It is meticulously designed to engrave every aspect of the fighting system into the players’ minds, teaching them at a steady pace while allowing ample time to commit each maneuver to memory.
Image source: Capcom
As I embarked on my World Tour adventure, my own custom-created fighter possessed only a basic set of moves. I could execute regular attacks and a couple of special moves, but advanced techniques like aerials and super arts were absent. This limitation forced me to focus on mastering the game’s core mechanics during the opening hours of the campaign. Through a series of initial battles, I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with Street Fighter 6’s movement and the flow of combat.
World Tour then gradually introduces new concepts one by one. Soon, I encountered Chun-Li and inherited her move set, allowing me to apply everything I had learned with a different character. By the end of the campaign, I had gained a profound understanding of all 18 fighters in Street Fighter 6. This eliminated the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty whenever faced with a vast character selection screen in other fighting games.
Capcom cleverly utilizes the RPG framework of World Tour mode to enhance its tutorial potential. Moves function similarly to gear here, as players equip new attacks in unlockable slots. The more I leveled up, the more special attacks I could equip simultaneously. This system provided me with the opportunity to gradually incorporate new directional attacks, allowing ample practice time for executing moves like down or back specials. By the time I unlocked the super art skill slot, I was so comfortable with basic combat that I could focus on perfecting that maneuver and exploring its timing nuances in subsequent battles.
Image source: Capcom
The handling of side quests in World Tour mode is particularly impressive, as some of them are designed to teach players new skills. In the early stages of the campaign, I learned how to execute Street Fighter 6’s new Drive Impact move through a practical battle with an NPC. After ample practice in story battles, a later side quest taught me how to counter an opponent’s Drive Impact with my own. These quests seamlessly built upon my existing knowledge, providing further opportunities to focus on and refine specific techniques in subsequent battles.
From a personal standpoint, I can confidently attest that World Tour mode excels as a teaching tool. When I initially played Street Fighter 6 before its official release, I struggled to defeat computer-controlled characters in the Arcade mode. However, after completing World Tour mode, I returned to Arcade mode and found myself flawlessly executing Perfect KOs against those same opponents. World Tour had equipped me with an in-depth understanding of the entire system, including the distinctive styles and subtle nuances of each character.
If you’ve always felt intimidated by fighting games of this nature, I highly recommend picking up Street Fighter 6 and diving straight into World Tour mode. It serves as a comprehensive tutorial embedded within an enjoyable single-player experience. While it may not transform you into a professional player overnight, it will undoubtedly elevate you from a mere button masher to a true street fighter.
Street Fighter 6 is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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