Street Fighter V Has A New V-Gauge, Watch In In Action Inside

Capcom have shared details on the battle system of Street Fighter V. This involves something called the V-System, which consists of three variable mechanics that are built around a V-Gauge, which builds up as your character takes damage. Essentially, this replaces the Ultra Gauge from Street Fighter IV.

Here’s are the three main variable mechanics in the game:

V-Skill

V-Skills are unique skills per character that can be accessed at any time by pressing medium punch and medium kick together. These skills do not require use of the V-Gauge and have different uses per character (e.g. mobility, offensive, defensive). V-Skills are rather important in battle as they may help a character in an area they’re weak at or help to fill up the V-Gauge quicker. Learning how to properly and efficiently use each character’s V-Skill will be key in winning matches.

V-Trigger

V-Triggers are unique abilities per character that can only be activated once the V-Gauge is full, by pressing heavy punch and heavy kick together. V-Triggers, much like Ultras in Street Fighter IV, are a way for your character to turn the tide of battle. That, however, is where the similarities end. Activating the V-Trigger, which allows access to a character’s full potential, is merely step one. It is completely up to the player to properly utilize the benefits received from the V-Trigger to change the course of the match. As V-Triggers add quite a bit of depth to each character, mastering their use will be paramount to victory.

V-Reversals

V-Reversals take up one stock of V-Gauge, and allow a player to counter the attack of the opponent while blocking, thus creating some breathing room. They are similar to “Alpha counters” from the Street Fighter Alphaseries, but this time not every counter results in a universal effect; some push the opponent back, some knock them down and some switch sides. Players should explore each character to see how their V-Reversals function.

In addition to the V-Gauge, Street Fighter V also has an EX Gauge, which builds as you deal damage to your opponent, similar to Street Fighter IV. As per usual, the EX Gauge allows characters to perform powered up versions of their special attacks, and when maxed out, their Critical Art. Critical Arts are highly-damaging, cinematic attacks that are unique to each character.

You can see these systems at work in the trailer above. Street Fighter V is in development for PC and PlayStation 4.