Another fine fighting game.
It’s been a nice long while since I’ve played a Dead or Alive game. In fact, that last one I ever touched was DOA3 way back in the early 2000’s. I was always more of a 2D fighter player, but respected what the other fighting games did. Cut to 2019, and here I am playing Dead or Alive 6 when I haven’t actively played a fighting game since Street Fighter V first released. With only a few issues here and there, DOA6 is a fine fighting game.
DOA6 is a 3D fighting game that feels like a entry level fighter, but beyond the surface, can become a professional fighting game player’s game with the amount of combos and counters this game has to offer in its mechanics. It is a simple four button layout with one for punches, one for kicks, one for throws, and one for holds. Holds are where the strategy really come to the forefront. Holds are essentially a block or counter but must be both timed and guessed properly on which type of attack the player is trying to stop. High, mid, and low attacks frequently mix up the guessing game and players that put enough time into it will begin to notice the tells of the character animations that will result in reacting appropriately.
MSRP: $59.99
Price I’d pay: $59.99
Platforms: PS4, XB1, PC
New to DOA6 is the break gauge. This gauge will fill up with both taking and dishing out damage. This gauge is used to turn the tide in fights with special moves like the Break Hold which lets players counter a hold or the Break Blow that is a lot like a ultra move that does some serious damage. The Break Blow can also be triggered at the end of an auto combo for even more damage.
Obviously, there are characters that lean more towards the striker style or the grapple style and all of them come with their own special moves and abilities that make them feel unique and strong in their own ways.
The single player offerings here are a story mode, a quest mode, and multiple training modes to take on. The story mode is fine, but overly complicated with its grid based system that goes back and forth through time to explain things. It just made it overly confusing for no real reason. The quest mode is a nice addition to the single player with a special mission with objectives to complete during a given fight. Completing these will offer up currency that can be used to obtain new cosmetics for the fighters, but it has a catch with it. I’ll dive more in that later. Finally, the training and target missions allow players to learn combos and the ins and outs of the entire game and does a decent job of showing everyone off.
Unlocking new costumes and cosmetics for characters is a bit of a slog. The reason why is due to the randomness of the whole thing. I complete quests in the quest mode and get costume parts that then go to unlocking a costume for a random character. Usually a character I don’t really play. Since I have no say in the matter, I am just stuck with a costume for someone I don’t use. So I begin the grind again by doing more quests hoping I get something that is worthwhile. The grind doesn’t end there, either. I then have to use in-game currency to equip and use said costumes I unlocked. What kind of mess is that?
The multiplayer here is very simplistic. It only has Ranked matches to take on with no lobby system in place as of yet. If I enjoyed fighting with the last person I fought, I could challenge them to a rematch, but that was about it. While minimal, the online works very well with nearly no lag in sight. So it has a leg up on a lot of fighters at launch.
Visually, DOA6 is a spectacle. The visual fidelity on the Xbox One X is great and the damage and details of the fighters after a round of fisticuffs really shows off the engine. On top of that, the arenas are their own graphical showcase with many of them vibrantly with explosions, wildlife, and other things going on. Let’s not forget some of the interactable environments that even do damage to players.
Overall, DOA6 is a nice package. While the grind for the costumes is real, the quest modes is a great way to learn more about all the characters in the game, and while the online mode is sparse for now, the support for this game will come in due time. Aside from all of that, the most important thing is the fighting mechanics and DOA6 delivers in that aspect. This is a great fighting game for both beginners and advanced players. The ins and outs take some getting used to, but once you do, you feel the satisfaction of pulling off that amazing counter and finishing up with a devastating combo, and end the end, that’s all that matters. Fighting game fans will have a great time here.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
