Dead or Alive 6 – Everything You Need To Know About The Game

Dead or Alive 6 is a fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei-Tecmo.

Development

Dead or Alive 6 is the first game in the series to be released on 8th generation consoles. After Dead or Alive 5 came out in 2012, Koei-Tecmo decided to take a break from the series. With Dead or Alive 6, the development team has shifted its focus on appealing to both casual gamers and veterans of the fighting genre.

The developers have also stated their intent to focus on making Dead or Alive 6 an e-sports fixture. An open beta for the game was held from January 12 to January 14, while a demo for the game was made available February 22 to February 24. Koei-Tecmo have also stated that they plan to release a free to play version of the game, similar to the Core Fighters version of Dead or Alive 5. An arcade version is also set to be released.

Team Ninja have also stated that though they like the Nintendo Switch as a platform, they feel it would be difficult to make Dead or Alive 6 work on its hardware, but would nonetheless consider porting it at some point in the future.

Story

Dead or Alive 6 follows directly after the events of its immediate predecessor. Kasumi has fled from her clan and is living in the mountains as a runaway ninja, but is weaved into a conflict once again when some things are set into motion after “a sinister incident in a village”, and an incident involving Helena Douglas, president of the new DOATEC.

Gameplay

Dead or Alive 6 will function similarly to its predecessors in many ways, but will also be making a few changes and additions. One of the new mechanics being added to the game is Fatal Rush, which is described as a beginner friendly mechanic. Fatal Rush allows the player to press a single button multiple times in a row, which then unleashes a simple combo attack.

There is also a Break Gauge in the game, which is a meter that fills up as characters deal more damage. Once full, the Gauge can be used in conjunction with other mechanics. For instance, using a Fatal Rush combo with a completely filled up Break Gauge unleashes a powerful move that functions similarly to the Critical Blow move from Dead or Alive 5.

Another new mechanic is Fatal Reversal, which can be used by using the Fatal button along with a directional input. This allows the player to swiftly move around an enemy and quickly reappear behind their backs, allowing for a window for a powerful and unexpected attack. Each character has a unique animation for performing a Fatal Reversal, such as ninja characters disappearing and reappearing behind their enemies’ backs. Juggling combo attacks are also being expanded, and now allow the player to use the ground bounce system to extend their juggle combos even further.

Another new feature that developers Team Ninja have added to Dead or Alive 6 is damage, with each character visibly showing more damage as they incur more hits and attacks throughout a fight. This can show up as cuts or bruises or rips and tears in clothing. The developers have confirmed that this is only a cosmetic feature, and does not impact the performances of fighters or the actual gameplay in any way.

Dead or Alive 6 also has character customization tools, making it a first for the series. Using these tools, the player is able to customize the look of any character in the game’s roster, including the clothes they’re wearing, their hairstyles, and more. One of the notable omissions being made in Dead or Alive 6 is that of the tag team mode, which will not be returning from previous titles. The developers stated that they made this decision to focus more on the game’s campaign and other one versus one battle modes.

Team Ninja have confirmed twenty six characters for Dead or Alive 6 so far. Characters introduced in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Venus Vacation and Scarlet will not be in the game. Guest characters will be included, with two of them appearing from SNK, one of whom is Mai Shiranui, who returns from Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. Other guest characters, like Momiji from Ninja Gaiden, might also be added later on as DLC.

The game has two new characters- the first is Diego, who is a street fighter from New York City of Mexican and American descent. He joins the tournament so that he can accrue money required for the treatment of his sick mother. The second is NiCO, a woman from Finland and a M.I.S.T. scientist, who can use lightning-based attacks.

Beyond the aforementioned, the characters confirmed to be returning in Dead or Alive 6 are Kasumi, Rig, Phase 4, Raidou, Ryu Hayabusa, Zack, Tina Armstrong, Nyotengu, Leifang, Lisa Hamilton, Mila, Marie Rose, Ayane, Bass Armstrong, Christie, Brad Wong, Bayman, Hitomi, Kokoro, Jann Lee, Helena Douglas, and Honoka. Of all the characters in the roster, Mai Shiranui, Phase 4, and Nyotengu have been confirmed as characters that will be exclusive to DLC.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.