Should Dead Or Alive 6 Stay Alive?
The Dead or Alive franchise is set to receive a new installment in the form of Dead or Alive 6 in the first quarter of 2019. So far, the upcoming title has been confirmed for not just the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One but also Microsoft Windows, meaning that it has the potential to reach out to a wider range of players than otherwise possible.
It remains to be seen whether Dead or Alive 6 will become successful in this regard or not, seeing as how the team behind it are making some important changes for the purpose of putting the franchise on a stronger and more solid footing. Should they succeed, that could push the Dead or Alive franchise towards the front of its genre. However, should they fail, that could have a detrimental impact on the franchise for years and years to come.
What Is Dead or Alive 6 Doing Different From Its Predecessors?
First and foremost, it is important to mention some of the things that will be remaining true in Dead or Alive 6. For example, the upcoming title will remain a fast-paced 3D fighter, which should come as no surprise because video game developers tend to be reluctant to change things that are fundamental to long-running video game franchises. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that Dead or Alive 6 will retain the focus on countering that is so central to its core mechanics, which is one of the things that enable it to stand out from other fighting game franchises.
With that said, it is important to mention that Dead or Alive 6 will be introducing a Special button that will let players execute powerful combos by hitting it over and over. The people behind the upcoming title have stated that the introduction of the Special button is intended to make Dead or Alive 6 more accessible to players who are interested in its premise but might be intimidated by the perceived difficulty of fighting games.
Something that has a detrimental effect on the fandoms of fighting game franchises by restricting them to people for whom that isn’t an issue for one reason or another. However, the people behind the upcoming title have emphasized that while the Special button will be useful, it will be balanced so that it won’t turn into an euphemism for a win button. After all, Dead or Alive is a franchise famous for enabling its players to punish predictable routines with a painful counter of one kind or another.
Regardless, the simple but nonetheless powerful combos aren’t the sole change that is coming with the Special button. Instead, it is important to note that Dead or Alive 6 will be bringing in a super meter, which is a rare sight for 3D fighters. For the most part, the super meter will function in much the same manner as its counterparts in other fighting game franchises, as shown by how it will be built up by each hit and each block. Likewise, once the super meter has been filled out, the player will be able to unleash a super move called the Break Blow by using the Special button.
However, what is interesting is that Dead or Alive 6 will be offering another potential use for that super meter in the form of a second super move called a Break Hold, which won’t be as damaging but will be capable of countering high, mid, and low attacks for maximum usefulness. In other words, this system is intended to freshen up the Dead or Alive franchise while still remaining true to its core mechanics.
Besides this, it is important to mention something about the presentation of Dead or Alive 6 as well. In short, there are a lot of fighting game franchises that use sex appeal for the purpose of bringing in players, but the Dead or Alive franchise stood out in that regard for taking it even further than most of its counterparts. For proof, look no further than the fact that it has an entire series of beach volleyball spin-offs, which capitalized on the franchise’s focus on “jiggle.”
Curiously, Dead or Alive 6 will be going for a more mature and more serious presentation than its predecessors. As a result, while its characters will remain as good-looking as ever, they will be depicted with less revealing costumes, less cartoonish movements, and increased emphasis on the fact that they are first and foremost fighters. Hopefully, that will reduce the number of jokes about “clothing damage” considering the intent to change how a character looks as well as how a character behaves as they sustain damage over the course of a fight, particularly since clothing damage in the form of smashing off a ninja’s mask has actually come up as an example of said intent.
Other examples range from characters starting to sweat after fighting for some time to characters grimacing when making strenuous movements after they have been injured, which will hold true for both the male and the female fighters. This is interesting because the people behind the Dead or Alive franchise used to be noted for their reluctance to show physical injuries on their female fighters, but it serves as an excellent illustration of their new position that their characters are first and foremost fighters.
Further Considerations
On the whole, Dead or Alive 6 is receiving some serious changes while still remaining familiar for the most part, which sounds promising enough. For example, the super meter might be new, but the Dead or Alive setting is colorful enough that super moves should fit right in. However, it remains to be seen whether this innovation will be welcomed by the players or not because in the end, the execution of a good idea matters a great deal more than the idea itself. Should Dead or Alive 6 prove to be successful, that could get more people to take it seriously instead of just relegating it to something of a joke, which would be beneficial for the long-term viability of the franchise as a whole.
