Street Fighter V: Champion Edition

Mechanics

The combat mechanics in Street Fighter V resemble what we know from the previous installments. The fun starts with selecting a fighter - the list of available heroes is extensive (it includes all characters made available during four post-launch seasons) and includes classic warriors like Ryu and Ken, as well as completely new ones like Rashid, Necalli or Gill (known from SFIII, this is his first appearance in SFV).

During the actual fight we control a hero in two dimensions, moving left or right, and our task is to bring the opponent's life bar to zero. We do this by using standard attacks, as well as performing dangerous special attacks, which are different for each character. It is also important to remember about defense - block and keeping the right distance.

New is the V-Gauge mechanic - a special bar that fills up when our fighter takes damage. Once we have accumulated enough energy, we can use it in several different ways. The first option is to use a V-Skills, i.e. exceptional special attacks. The second possibility are V-Reversals, which open the opponent to counters. The third alternative are the V-Triggers, which absorb the entire V-Gauge and strengthen the warrior for a while. It is worth mentioning that in the discussed version of the game we have access to two variants of V-Skills and V-Reversals.

Stun Gauge also appeared in the game - when it is filled, it causes a stun effect characteristic for this series (stars above the head) or other effects depending on the character (e.g. Kolin can freeze his enemies). We also have the classic EX Gauge bar, which charges by attacking and enables us to perform the most powerful specials available to the character.

Game modes

Street Fighter V offers several gameplay modes. We receive a story mode, single battles (within the Arcade mode or in the form of challenges, e.g. timed ones). We can also play in tournaments and compete against others - locally or via the Internet - or practice our skills in the training room.

Technical aspects

Street Fighter V: Champions Edition is powered by the popular Unreal Engine 4 technology. Despite the two-dimensional gameplay, the visuals were created in full 3D, with both characters and locations stylized to look like an animated film. The whole thing looks really nice and spectacular - interesting character designs and animations of individual special attacks, using a whole range of light effects, make a particularly good impression.