Capcom has revealed a new Street Fighter game, Street Fighter: Duel, which promises to be unlike any other Street Fighter game. Street Fighter: Duel is a mobile RPG that is available for free.
Capcom and Crunchyroll collaborate on Street Fighter: Duel. Crunchyroll characterises it as “the series’ first ever RPG,” although it will also contain some of the series’ signature combat. Crunchyroll is likely the most well-known brand in anime outside of Japan, and the firm has been busy putting up a fantastic roster of anime. Crunchyroll has previously worked on mobile gaming titles based on popular anime IP such as My Hero Academia and Naruto.
The teaser includes Before turning and preparing a gigantic Hadoken, Ryu stood in a black abyss with just some of the series’ top-notch Street Fighter soundtrack and arcady action noises for company. Following that, he is joined by fan favourites Chun-Li, Ken, and Blanka, who all have a toy-like sheen to their character models. The screen then jumps to a splash screen with additional characters in a more traditional concept art style, introducing the title, Street Fighter: Duel, and prompting users to pre-register for the February release for Android or iOS. While the video creates an appropriate level of anticipation, it does not reveal much in the way of gameplay. According to Crunchyroll, players will “explore the world to acquire and level up renowned characters from throughout the Street Fighter series.”
Given that Street Fighter is not an anime and that Capcom has previously launched multiple mobile games for Android and iOS, including Street Fighter 4 CE, the cooperation seems a bit strange. However, given that Capcom is now working on Street Fighter 6, Monster Hunter, and the highly anticipated Resident Evil 4 Remake, it makes sense for the Osaka-based firm to explore outsourcing part of the work.
While this is billed as the first video game RPG in the Street Fighter series, it is also worth recalling Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game, a tabletop RPG based on concepts from White Wolf’s World of Darkness games, which was released in 1994. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print, but the game allowed players to construct their own Street Fighter character and fighting style. World of Darkness is most known for incorporating Vampire: The Masquerade, which spawned the cult classic Bloodlines. While Street Fighter: Duel is slated to be an RPG, the role-playing aspects are unlikely to go as far as those seen in a White Wolf game. Vampire: Masquerade Bloodlines 2 may be released in 2023 for people looking for a more in-depth RPG. The duel will be the best bet for Street Fighter fans to play the brand in an RPG environment without having to hunt out ancient copies of Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game.
