Dead or Alive 6 Review

DOA search

Along with a fantastic and in-depth tutorial, Dead or Alive 6 introduces DOA Quest, a challenge mode full of objectives that players can complete to earn points by unlocking new costumes. Serving as a fun educational tool for gamers, DOA Quest may just be the highlight of the whole package. Frustratingly, the mode suffers from a rewards system that automatically awards points to a random character’s locked outfit. Since it’s impossible to decipher who will be chosen, hours can go by without your favorite fighter getting even a single point.

With the exception of two new fighters, the Dead or Alive 6 roster holds few surprises. Sadly, NiCO and Diego are both pretty forgettable, particularly when it comes to the latter. At least, NiCO plays a crucial role in the story, but Diego could be replaced by just about anyone. Outside of the cut scenes, Dead or Alive 6 looks like a slightly more refined version of its predecessor, although the character models finally show the wear and tear of combat.

Final verdict

For the most part, multiplayer works well, although lag isn’t too uncommon. Originally, Dead or Alive 6 only offered Ranked Matches, but a later patch added online lobbies. If anyone is primarily interested in multiplayer, the free-to-play version of Dead or Alive 6 might be worth trying to ensure respectable performance.

Despite its brilliant combat mechanics, Dead or Alive 6 is nothing more than a slightly above average game. With the exception of the fun DOA Quest and an extensive tutorial, the single player modes aren’t spectacular. Multiplayer does the bare minimum but nothing more. Dead or Alive 6 represents a side step rather than a leap forward for the franchise.