RGG Studio recently revealed the official title for the Virtua Fighter Project: Virtua Fighter Crossroads. It’s the newest installment that takes its simple fighting system to the next level in a realistic arena.
After its announcement, RGG Studio presented more about the game’s formula during its dedicated showcase. The sixth Virtua Fighter entry introduces new mechanics for its immersive battle system and story constructed by various veteran developers, including David Hayter as the world builder supervisor, Brad Kane as lead writer, Tsuyoshi Furuta as the scenario director, and Shinji Yamamoto as the scenario writer.
A new city for fighting
Virtua Fighters Crossroads takes place in Vilasapara, an imaginary city within Southeast Asia. This place influences many fighters to gather up to show their potential in strength, both veterans and newcomers of Virtua Fighter.
Sadly, the city isn’t very welcoming with the malicious influence of mafia and gangsters running amok. This issue may encourage every fighter to retaliate against the underworld gangs that are ruining the city’s peace and sportsmanlike fights, which will make different fighters meet at crossroads.
A new place to roam
Virtua Fighter Crossroads will introduce its own Cinematic story mode, having characters showcase their development and perspective of Vilasapara. It’s possible to free roam in town and complete side quests to gain rewarding items and resources, similar to World Tour in Street Fighter 6.
The main story revolves around Cielo, an upcoming fighter who yearns to become the strongest. His journey will lead him to face the Chinese mafia, who are very unsportsmanlike when losing.
A new battle to challenge
The new story mode is designed based on its chapter, making it easy to reach specific narrative developments. Certain story moments will force some characters into chase scenes, requiring quick reaction and decisive decision-making to catch up or escape from harm.
Another type of action is scenario battles, which adds a new type of battle in Crossroads. It’s now possible for playable characters to get into gang fights, facing off multiple opponents at once.
A new feel for fighting
The Virtua Fighter franchise has mainly been designed with a three-button control scheme to make its battle system easier and simpler for any player to learn. Virtua Fighter Crossroads is no different, kinda. Its battle system isn’t the same as its predecessors, making the developers reconfigure the fighting mechanics from the ground up.
Gameplay is a lot more dependent on realism, making the active fighters interact more like humans rather than arcadey virtual characters. Similar to Street Fighter 6, it’s possible to see fighters wounded up during impactful close-ups, which can result in them losing teeth. The match can also lose its color during certain strong attacks, implying a sense of grogginess. The reconfigured battle system will make the fights more immersive and painful.
Virtua Fighter Crossroads launches sometime in 2027.
