Fighting Games Friday: Dead or Alive for the Sixth Time

The announcement of Dead or Alive 6 from Team Ninja was inevitable. It’s been less than half a year since they confirmed their plans to end support for Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, which occurred at the Northeast Championship 18 tournament in December. This happened after they supported the Dead or Alive 5 series since the original title released in September 2012, so it was a long time in coming.

Over the years, Team Ninja and publisher Koei Tecmo released enhanced versions two enhanced versions in Ultimate and Last Round, and released more characters like new face Nyotengu and unexpected guest character Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury/King of Fighters. But most of the DLC focused on outfits, which included seasonal threads for Halloween and Christmas, and tie-ins for anime and manga franchises like Attack on Titan. Eventually, they and their fans felt it was time to move on.

Funnily enough, the announcement that Team Ninja was phasing out support was misinterpreted by some fans and video game websites (who should know better, really) as the developer saying the DOA franchise overall was ending. It was a funny seeing the reactions on Twitter until the clarification.

The big shock here is how Team Ninja is already moving on to Dead or Alive 6. The title was announced today as an IGN-exclusive reveal, due for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, the last three platforms DOA5LR was active on. Surprisingly, the title is far enough along that a gameplay trailer containing a good amount of gameplay footage was also released, and IGN provided impressions detailing the new features and changes.

Upon first playing, IGN noted how the core mechanics are the same as they were in DOA5, which by extension haven’t changed much since the franchise’s introduction. DOA series producer and director Yohei Shimbori justified this by saying he didn’t want series fans to feel disappointed and discover a game that’s been changed against their liking, so they felt it was best to keep the feel of its gameplay similar. From their observations and playtime, characters like Kasumi, Zack, and Ryu Hayabusa have similar techniques and basic combos, and its gameplay remains reliant on counters.

In fact, anyone who’s watched plenty of gameplay footage of DOA5 in action might think the gameplay in the reveal trailer looks a little too familiar. DOA6 is using the same aesthetic as DOA5, the latter of which contained the most insanely polished character models in the franchise’s history by far. Prior DOA games contained models that resembled plastic 3D anime dolls, especially in the case of female combatants. But DOA5 contained a more realistic style, and gave characters smoother skin — again, especially in the case of the female combatants. This game will have a reduced amount of fanservice, but that’s not to say it won’t have any.

The character models are more detailed here, since this is the first game in the series to take advantage of current-generation platform technology. It looks remarkably similar to DOA5 while the camera is in its default position, but you can really see the difference during close-ups.

The current-gen technology has also allowed for the stages to look more detailed, best evinced in one with good-looking spectators cheering on the combatants from an uncomfortably close distance. We should see more of them in action as more gameplay is shown.

Despite its similar looks, there are key gameplay changes that will distinguish DOA6 from its predecessors. A “Special” button has been added here, which Shimbori classified as a “rescue button for beginners.” Pressing it several times will lead to characters unleashing powerful “Fatal Rush” combos, described as a function that can make novices resemble experts. There’s been a recent trend among fighting game developers to make their titles more accessible to beginners, something also seen in titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ and the recent Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle, which also have auto combos. This won’t get players out of jail free in DOA6, though, as simply mashing without thinking can leave players open to counterattacks.

Also new is the “Break Gauge,” making this the newest 3D fighting game to add a super meter. Once its charged, characters can perform a Break Blow, a flashy and damaging attack, or a Break Hold, a low-damaging counter that can stop attacks coming from any direction. The challenge will be in balancing these new features so players can’t easily find exploits, but they’ll both bring significant and potentially welcome changes to the franchise if they’re implemented well.

Thus far, all the characters confirmed for DOA6 are series mainstays. The trailer places a good focus on Ryu Hayabusa and Hayate, while Zack, Kasumi, and Jann Lee, and Helena are shown. There will undoubtedly be new faces, but whether everyone outside Mai and the Virtua Fighter guest characters returns remains to be seen. I wouldn’t count on everyone coming back.

(They should still let the Virtua Fighter characters back in, though, since it doesn’t seem like Sega will be using them anytime soon.)

Dead or Alive 6 will be shown in more detail on Monday, and will release in early 2019. It’s clear Team Ninja’s intent is to keep the franchise alive among online players and the tournament scene, though their desire to continue the steady stream of revenue they were making through new DLC outfits might be part of this.