Dead or Alive 6

Dead or Alive 6
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Team Ninja
Publisher(s)	Koei Tecmo
Director(s)	Yohei Shimbori
Producer(s)	Yohei Shimbori
Designer(s)	Tom Lee
Programmer(s)	Taku Sugawara
Artist(s)	Yutaka Saito
Writer(s)	Yutaka Saito
Composer(s)	Hiromu Akaba Yosuke Kinoshita
Series	Dead or Alive
Platform(s)	Arcade Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One WW: March 1, 2019 Arcade JP: TBA
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Dead or Alive 6 is a fighting game developed by Team Ninja published by Koei Tecmo in the Dead or Alive series as a sequel to Dead or Alive 5. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on March 1, 2019.

The game was praised for its polished gameplay, battle arenas, and its beginners-friendly tutorials, but was criticized for its multiplayer functions as well as the absence of lobby mode on online mode.

Gameplay

The game is markedly graphically violent in contrast to the previous entries in the Dead or Alive series

New features include slow-motion moments and visible damage on the fighters during the course of the fight, while the sweat effects from Dead or Alive 5 return and are more pronounced. Dead or Alive 6 also marks the first time for the series to have costume customization mode. Contrary to some early reports, breast physics however are still part of the game, but can be user-adjusted just like the game's new blood and violence options.

The game is supposed to be more accessible for newcomers. New mechanics introduced are the Fatal Rush, a beginner-friendly mechanic where pressing one button multiple times results in the character performing a simple combo, and the Break Gauge, a meter that builds up as the characters attack. If the Gauge is full, a Fatal Rush will culminate in a move similar to what the Critical Blow in Dead or Alive 5 would do. There is a new mechanic named the Fatal Reversal, where the character reverses an opponent, stunning them, before appearing behind them, open for a counter. The juggling ground-bounce system in this game is also being enhanced to extend juggle combos.

Characters

The game currently has 27 playable characters. According to the developers during an interview, it will not feature the characters who were introduced in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Venus Vacation and Scarlet. Possible future DLC characters include Momiji from Ninja Gaiden. There will also be two SNK guest characters, including Mai Shiranui returning from Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. The other SNK guest is as of yet unknown.

New

• Diego, a Mexican-American street fighter hailing from New York City. He enters the tournament in order to provide funding for his sick mother. Diego is the first character in the Dead or Alive series to be of Mexican descent.
• NiCO, a new M.I.S.T. scientist and silat martial artist from Finland. She is using lightning-based attacks.

Returning

• Ayane
• Bass Armstrong
• Bayman
• Brad Wong
• Christie
• Eliot
• Hayate
• Helena Douglas
• Hitomi
• Honoka
• Jann Lee
• Kasumi
• Kokoro
• Leifang
• Lisa Hamilton/La Mariposa
• Mai Shiranui
• Marie Rose
• Mila
• Nyotengu
• Phase 4
• Raidou
• Rig
• Ryu Hayabusa
• Tina Armstrong
• Zack

^a Downloadable content
^b Guest character

Plot

Following the events of Dead or Alive 5, Kasumi retires from her ninja clan and secretly resided in a mountain village, but the world is about to be threatened by a new sinister plan.

Development

Team Ninja began full-time development on Dead or Alive 6 in December 2017 and publicly revealed it in June 2018. The game is using a new graphics engine. The studio announced they sought to slightly tone down the sexualized portrayal of female characters and focused on being an esports title. A single-player campaign, which was described as "cohesive" by director and producer Yohei Shimbori, was developed so that the game can appeal to both casual gamers and the Western audience. A new character Diego was also designed specifically in mind for American males aged 25 to 35. Tag team mode of the previous games is no longer featured due to the change of focus and priorities.

Shimbori later denied that the game has been censored due to the new Sony standards against sexual content in PlayStation games and promised it would be at the DOA5 standards, claiming to having been repeatedly misunderstood or mistranslated on the issue. He also cited the unfavorable perception of the previous games by "some media outlets" as a reason for the changes and blamed the reduction of female clothing damage on otherwise being unable to distribute the game in the Western stores, stating he has been trying to avoid the repetition of the situation with Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 where they could not sell it in Europe and North America. The game nevertheless still failed to avoid controversies in the West, including having an Evo Japan 2019 official stream featuring Yuka Kuramochi and Saki Yoshida shut down and apologized for by the Evolution Championship Series president Joey Cuellar and head of business development Mark Julio citing "core values".

An open beta version was made available between January 12-14 for the PlayStation Plus subscribers. A new demo has been exclusive to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold members between February 22-24.

Release

Dead or Alive 6 was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 1, 2019, delayed two weeks from the original release date of February 15. Limited edition items in Japan include life-size bed sheets of Ayane and Kasumi, a bath poster of Ayane and Kasumi, and bust and butt shaped 3D mousepads of Honoka and Marie Rose. The in-game Nyotengu and Phase 4 characters have been included in pre-order and deluxe edition bonuses, along with exclusive costumes.

The game's breast physics are to be enhanced post-release. The first downloadable content (DLC) season pass, costing more than the base game, adds two additional character as well as 62 new costumes.

Similar to Dead or Alive 5, DOA6 will have a "Core Fighters" free-to-play version. An arcade version is also scheduled to be released.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PC) 78/100 (PS4) 73/100 (XONE) 73/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
EGM	7/10
Famitsu	35/40
Game Informer	6.75/10
GamePro	85/100
GameRevolution
GameSpot	7/10
IGN	7.7/10
PCGamesN	9/10
The Games Machine	8.4/10
The Guardian

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Dead or Alive 6 has received "generally favorable" reviews for the Xbox One and PC versions, but reviewed "mixed or average" reviews on the Playstation 4 version.

IGN gave the game an 7.7, stating that "DoA 6 proves there's plenty of depth to this fighter beneath its skimpy outfits, but its story mode is disjointed and its multiplayer features are currently bare".

Gamespot gave the game a 7, stating that "despite some missteps, DoA6 is a fun, engaging fighter with great-feeling, easy-to-pick-up combat, a strong sense of visual style, and a lot of personality. If you're looking for a new fighting game to learn the ins and outs of--or perhaps a nice entry into the 3D side of fighting games--DoA6 is a fighter of choice."

Sales

In Japan, approximately 26,442 physical units for PS4 were sold during its launch week becoming the number one selling game of any format.

External links

• Official website