Dead Or Alive 6 Last Round Review – Continue Or Game Over?

Definity Edition packages tend to be great offerings for players who are interested in getting into a game they missed out on, or players who want to re-experience that title in new ways. Dead or Alive 6 Last Round aims to offer a new definitive version of the 2019 original game. While it brings some additions such as visual improvements and new characters, it is impossible to overlook the monetization aspect, with over 400 DLC items listed on Steam, making it difficult to understand some of the decisions behind this new edition.

Before speaking of some of those monetization issues, let me make clear that Dead or Alive 6 Last Round offers a great gameplay experience. For those like me who missed out on the original release, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round will give you a fresh perspective on the world of 3D fighting games. The combat still shines with one of the best parrying systems in the genre. In Dead or Alive 6 Last Round, the button you use for the special attack is the same button you can use to parry and counterattack. You can continue to press that button into a combo that then transforms into a special move.

I was surprised by the animations in Dead or Alive 6 Last Round as well. The movement and fluidity reminded me of Virtua Fighter, which is a combat that feels authentic to real martial arts. Each fighter brings a unique fighting style, making the playable experience with each one feel fresh because of how different every style is. What makes that combat even more engaging is how it is incorporated into the environment of the stages.

Similar to other 3D fighters, the stages in Dead or Alive 6 Last Round contain destructible objects or areas in which the fight can continue. Sending your opponent through a barrier or wall with an attack into another adjoining area is one of the best feelings a fighting game can transmit. In the stages, it is also where players will find most of the visual enhancements, with lighting getting some adjustments from the standard version. While other areas of the game didn’t get many improvements, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round still holds very well to this day in terms of art style and animations. These elements can be further enjoyed thanks to the newly added photo mode.

While Dead or Alive 6 Last Round contains many DLC on its store, thankfully, in terms of playable content, there is much to enjoy. The game includes a story mode, quest mode, survival challenge, and more. The story and characters are engaging, and cutscenes still hold up well to this day. While I still think that having a few characters behind a paywall in a Definitive Edition is the wrong choice, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round still offers one of the most packed rosters in fighting games.

The Quest mode is a great way to experience each fighter. The mode includes specific challenges and objectives that take advantage of every combo and move set in the game. Additionally, from the single-player modes, you can try your skills online in ranked matches against other players. Players can also customize each fighter with a variety of outfits, add some glasses, and even change the hairstyle.

On the customization side, however, is where many of the aforementioned DLC issues are. Half of the outfits for each fighter lie behind a DLC paywall. Additionally, players who had bought characters like Mai in the original version will have to buy these characters again. For an edition that is supposed to feel definitive, these decisions make it seem that the game has a different definition of what definitive means. For the PC version, technical features such as ultrawide are not supported on Last Round either.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round represents a good way for new players to get into the game and its franchise. It offers a variety of fighting styles and unique game modes that can entertain you for many hours. For veteran players, however, my recommendation is to try the free Core Fighters version, where you can try a couple of fighters and see if the difference in visuals is worth it. Koei Tecmo has also announced the addition of a completely new character coming soon to the game. But before getting hyped for these new arrivals, I believe some adjustments, especially to the monetization system, need to be made for these announcements to land well with the players.

Walter reviewed Dead or Alive 6 Last Round on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.