Street Fighter 6, the latest installment in the long-running fighting game series, has shaken up the world of competitive gaming by breaking its own rules. As most fighting game fans know, Street Fighter games have always been about grinding out technical combos against opponents in order to pull off flashy flashy combinations that can overwhelm an enemy’s guard. But in Street Fighter 6, the developers at Capcom have eschewed this tried and true formula in favor of something new and unexpected.

The developers have brought together two popular elements from other battling games—the lifecycle from Mortal Kombat and the health bar from Tekken. Now, instead of draining an opponent’s life until they’re out of health, players must reduce their opponent’s energy levels until it reaches zero. This makes Street Fighter 6 feel closer to a traditional fighting game, but with some innovative twists that will keep players on their toes.

While these changes may feel foreign to some players, they also introduce a layer of strategy that can help players in the long run. Players will now have to be mindful of more than just their own damage level as they fight, as their opponents’ energy can be used strategically to take down their opponents. Even if a player is unable to deliver a finisher move, they are still able to approach matches with a different mindset.

Some may fear that these changes to the series will make the game “less Street Fighter”, however, this is not the case. Street Fighter 6 still features the classic elements of the original games that fans love, while bringing in enough new elements to keep it fresh. It’s great to see a venerated franchise like Street Fighter taking risks and trying something different, and we are looking forward to seeing how the series will evolve in the future.