A new Street Fighter game is available for preregistration on the Play Store, published by Crunchyroll Games. However, those rightly apprehensive about free-to-play titles may want to think twice before preregistering for Street Fighter: Duel. The latest game from the popular fighting franchise boasts plenty of returning characters and stages, which is why you'll be tasked with collecting them to build the perfect RPG team. So if you're hoping for the same fighting mechanics you've come to love from the core franchise, forget it; this is looking to be another in a long line of branded cash grabs.
In the PR announcement on Business Wire, Street Fighter: Duel pitches itself as "the franchise's first RPG." The official release date has yet to be announced, but everyone who preregisters will receive a collection of in-game currency, which increases with the number of preregistrations the game gets.
Rather than the 1v1 matches Street Fighter fans have come to expect from the franchise, Street Fighter: Duel's gameplay is comprised of opposing teams where you'll assemble a group of fighters beforehand to unleash powerful combos. Fighters can be controlled manually, or you can turn on auto-battle to let them do it themselves.
The campaign mode will let you build your team as you adventure to defeat Seth and the Shadaloo's army of mech clones. There's also an online mode, but auto-battle will be replaced by exclusive real-time battles.
While we haven't had a chance to try Street Fighter: Duel (since it only just entered preregistration), the amount of F2P content that's evident already is pretty concerning. Not only is the register bonus entirely made up of in-game currencies, but Crunchyroll Games' previous releases have also been filled to the brim with in-app purchases designed to take advantage of fans' wallets. What specific content you can buy hasn't been fully revealed yet, except for new skins for characters.
If you're excited to play Street Fighter: Duel, the game is set to launch later this month on iOS and Android. It's free to download, but expect to be bombarded with in-app purchases.