Dead or Alive fans have waited for several years for a new title in the series. Thankfully, that wait ends now with Dead or Alive 6. Fans of the combo/counter heavy fighter will be quite happy to hear that Dead or Alive 6 expands on this with a new Break system and tweaks to its already strong fighting mechanics. We’re sure many of you wonder what else awaits you in Dead or Alive 6. For that answer, we direct you to continue reading our full review of Dead or Alive 6 down below!

Dead or Alive 6 retains the series staple of counters and combos that fans have come to love in the series. In this newest title, there are even more modes to enjoy and a graphical overhaul to make fights look even more intense than before! Dead or Alive 6’s story mode has also been rehauled with a lengthier story in comparison to previous entries. A new quest mode also gives players incentive to learn every character to unlock new materials for outfits. Online mode returns but with only ranked mode available on day one, but you can expect lobbies to return post release! Dead or Alive 6 hits harder and faster making this one of the best of the series for fans and newcomers alike.

DOATEC and M.I.S.T had both taken severe blows after the botched experiments were exposed by the Ninja clans. However, unbeknownst to the ninja like Hayate or Hayabusa, both groups always have counter measures in place. Once again, a new Dead or Alive tournament approaches and once more the search for the ultimate fighter continues. Will this new tourney lead to a new crowning champ or allow the nefarious corporations behind the scenes to gain a new weapon? The battle returns once again in Dead or Alive 6!

The Dead or Alive series has always been one of our absolute favorite fighting game series since its release way back in the late 90s. While Tekken and Soul Calibur have stood as the titans in the 3D fighting game scene, Dead or Alive has always stood as a strong competitor and sometimes even surpassed the other two titles. Dead or Alive 6 enters the ring as the latest title and we here sat down and stepped into the fight once again with a smile on our faces. Did our smiles only grow or did Dead or Alive 6 cause us to frown eventually? Why don’t we find out in our full review of Dead or Alive 6 for the PS4?

Let us give you a quick crash course on what to expect with Dead or Alive 6. If you’ve never played a previous Dead or Alive title, the main theme of Dead or Alive is having players choose a fighter and duke it out with others in glorious 3D combat. What sets apart Dead or Alive 6 from games like Tekken 7 or Soul Calibur VI is the focus on counters and realistic fighting styles that can be seen in the real world. Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate and other styles are used and give the Dead or Alive series a more grounded feel. Players need to use a nice mix of defense, countering and offense to truly win a battle and this is what makes every Dead or Alive feel more engaging than the other fighting games out there.

Now in terms of Dead or Alive 6, not much has been changed in the fighting game mechanics aside from a few additions that are quite welcoming. You still have your counters—low to high—and your grapples, but Dead or Alive 6 has also added a new Break system that feels quite similar to Tekken 7’s Power Crush moves. Players can use Break moves for punishing blows in between combos—or on the onset of one—as well as perfect Break defenses that allow for reversals that can truly change the tide of a fight. Dead or Alive 6 didn’t go crazy with new fighting game mechanics and instead opted for a lot more balancing with damage and moves to make fights quick but truly balanced. We always felt Dead or Alive 4 was the best of the series—5 had a slew of issues—but Dead or Alive 6 stands as a solid upgrade in numerous ways.

Dead or Alive 6 also totes an impressive amount of gameplay modes for a nice amount to do. The story mode—which has always been a mixed bag with the Dead or Alive series—returns with a larger story experience that allows for a larger cast of playable fighters. The story still makes very little sense and tends to jump around so much as it focuses on several stories in one game but we still enjoyed the tale as ridiculous as it was. Plus, it at least includes the new characters—Diego and Nico—which is great for those who want to learn their play style/see their origin stories.

The new quest mode in Dead or Alive 6 is also a welcome sight to give players a nice mode akin to combo training. In the quest mode, players will select a quest and be given three challenges they must overcome. Usually they involve winning in a certain limit and or using specific moves during the fight. Accomplish these challenges and you’ll earn gold—for in game purchases to customize your character—and materials which unlocks costumes for various characters. The latter reward is where we see the biggest issue for Dead or Alive 6 appear. Earning costumes and unlocking them takes way too long.

In the past Dead or Alive games, getting outfits usually was done by beating survival mode with a fighter on various difficulties, beating arcade mode with a fighter and or buying them as they released…which was expensive to say the least. In Dead or Alive 6, we still presume buying outfits will be a thing—as of our review there is little to get outside day one items/characters—but getting new costumes means getting those materials we mentioned and that takes…a long time. Not only does it take a while but it sometimes doesn’t make sense when you get materials for Hitomi after using Brad in a quest. We kind of wished this system was a bit more explained but we think it’s a strange system nonetheless.

One of the usually weaker elements of the Dead or Alive series has always been the online element. While online battles weren’t always bad in Dead or Alive 5, there were a lot of fights we had with connection quality being quite poor. Dead or Alive 6 doesn’t change much in the online concept but we did notice that even weaker connections weren’t quite as horrible as 5. That isn’t to say we didn’t get lag from an occasional ranked match—so far only ranked mode exists for online fights—but it was more often than not at least playable.

Lastly, aside from the outstanding gameplay, comes the beautiful visuals we’ve come to expect from Dead or Alive. There is no doubt in our minds that Dead or Alive 6 is the best looking in the series with a high level of detail in everything from the stages/rings to the characters themselves. Dead or Alive 6 has a nice focus on showing off blood and sweat on each fighter as they duke it out. If you find the blood or action too intense though, you can always turn off the extreme violence but we wouldn’t suggest that as it shows the best Dead or Alive 6 can do. Regardless though, Dead or Alive 6 looks stellar and shows that a fighting game can be impressive looking while having great fighting game mechanics.

Dead or Alive 6 doesn’t dramatically change anything it set up in the previous entry but instead listened to what fans wanted. Dead or Alive 6 has a stronger—albeit stranger—story mode as well as beefier fighting mechanics that keep what makes the franchise great intact. While we aren’t fans of the new ways to gain costumes for your various female and male fighters, we do like the new modes that tested our skills with various fighters in varying situations. The updated visuals are also a real treat as you can see character lose bits of their clothing and suffer from extreme sweat as a fight heats up. Online matchmaking only has ranked mode so far but we were told there will be a lobby system added soon which will be a nice treat as online ranked still suffers from occasional bad connections and try-hards who quit mid match when you’re winning. Needless to say, Dead or Alive 6 is a great new installment in the Dead or Alive series and so far might be our favorite one since 4! Even if you’re new to the series—or are a returning fan like we are—you will most certainly want to pick up Dead or Alive 6!

Fans of the Dead or Alive series will be happy to hear that Dead or Alive 6 feels significantly stronger than 5. The longer story mode and quest mode give Dead or Alive 6 a stronger single player element and we can see online mode being solid once the lobbies return. Ultimately, Dead or Alive 6 is a stronger entry in the series and keeps the competition alive between it and Tekken/Soul Calibur. Are you enjoying Dead or Alive 6? Tell us below in the comments so we can hear from you readers out there! Be sure to keep stuck to our hive for even more game reviews courteous of us here at Honey’s Anime!