[INTERVIEW] The New Virtua Fighter Project aims to be easy to pick up and strives for "reality" in every aspect, from the game mechanics to the graphics

Interview originally published in Japanese at 4Gamer, September 26, 2025.

The latest installment in the Virtua Fighter series, New VIRTUA FIGHTER Project, is slowly being revealed. The game's producer Riichiro Yamada and its battle director Yosuke Takei explained the new system in a special livestream on September 25, 2025. 4Gamer interviewed Mr. Yamada at the event to learn more about the project's concept and more details.

New Virtua Fighter Project talk show at Tokyo Game Show 2025 New Virtua Fighter Project talk show at Tokyo Game Show 2025

In the New VIRTUA FIGHTER Project, matches can be played using two different rulesets: the traditional Standard ruleset and a completely new Uprising ruleset, which focuses on comeback opportunities. In addition, several new systems were introduced, including Flowguard, Break and Rush, Stunner & Stun Combo, and Signature Cut.

Flowguard

Flowguard mechanic explanation

This is a defensive maneuver different from a normal guard, representing a more evasive and fluid movement. It involves stylish maneuvers, and is related to the Break and Rush mechanic. It offers different kinds of offensive and defensive strategies compared to the normal system: while a normal guard can block attacks, it doesn't prevent damage to specific body parts, which is where Flowguard comes in.

Break and Rush

Break and Rush mechanic explanation

Landing attacks to your opponent's body parts can accumulate damage to them, until they eventually break down. This damage persists across rounds, and breaking body parts opens even more offensive opportunities.

Stunner & Stun Combo

Stunner & Stun Combo mechanic explanation

This is a new combo system derived from stunner moves, featuring more realistic movements instead of just launching the opponent into the air. However, traditional air combos will still be included.

Signature Cut

Signature Cut demonstration: a Bajiquan master gets kicked in the face, breaking one of his teeth Signature Cut demonstration: a Bajiquan master gets kicked in the face, breaking one of his teeth

Although the official website doesn't mention this new system, it's worth highlighting: this is a visual effect depicting the pain experienced during a KO. The effect varies depending on the knockout's cause.


What is the intent behind the development of these new systems, and what dynamics will they introduce into gameplay? We immediately talked about it with producer Riichiro Yamada, who was present at Tokyo Game Show 2025, to find out.

New Virtua Fighter Project producer Riichiro Yamada New Virtua Fighter Project producer Riichiro Yamada

4Gamer: Thank you for joining us today. First, could you tell us about the concept behind the new systems?

Riichiro Yamada: The concept is "reality." We can't just keep making games the way we always have. If we're making a new title, it has to have something unique, so we felt that the keyword should be "realism," something that has always been valued in the Virtua Fighter series and expected by its players. I say "reality" rather than "realistic" because the intent isn't to create a purely realistic fighting game. The series was originally influenced by kung-fu movies, and we want to create cinematic action. We want to achieve that kind of reality, while also incorporating new technologies and new ideas. That's why the new Uprising ruleset is included in what we announced today.

4Gamer: In the gaming world, "reality" often refers to photo-realistic graphics. However, the "reality" that the New VIRTUA FIGHTER Project pursues seems to encompass much more than just graphics — does that include the gameplay itself?

Yamada: Even with Wolf Hawkfield, whom we revealed in a promotional video, we considered his lifestyle and backstory when making his character design. In previous games, the fighting style itself was the focus of the design. This time, we're emphasizing the character's life story, and creating designs that make them feel like living people in reality.

Wolf Hawkfield in the New Virtua Fighter Project "And what dark design of fate has led him to face, tonight, the team that spelled an end to his glory days and led to his controversial retirement that shocked the world?!"

4Gamer: Can you explain the new systems that were revealed?

Yamada: In the initial pre-development concept video, we showcased a cinematic and fluid style of combat, and that's what we implemented in the Flowguard system. Traditionally, fighting games have a very stylized blocking mechanic, and the guarding stance always looks the same regardless of what the player's defending against, which doesn't exactly match the reality we're looking for.

*New Virtua Fighter Project* battle footage on stage

In Virtua Fighter, quick responses are crucial to winning a fight, but Flowguard is a more complex mechanic that needs careful observation to understand, so we need to consider ways to make it more visually intuitive.

Break and Rush was designed to be easy to understand and offer a unique gameplay experience. We also wanted to incorporate a strategic element in targeting specific body parts. Only having Flowguard would give an advantage to defensive players, resulting in slower-paced gameplay. We wanted to create a game where offense is the key to success, instead of just focusing on defense all the time. Furthermore, the body-part damage mechanic is intuitive and easy to understand for non-gamers, and we believe it adds an interesting visual element to the game.

Yamada: We developed the Stunner & Stun Combo mechanic in response to feedback from players new to Virtua Fighter who said they felt unsure about what to do. In 2D fighting games, the gameplay is relatively straightforward, with a typical flow of jumping in, doing a combo, and then finishing with a super move. But the system in Virtua Fighter is quite different, which can be confusing for beginners — so we introduced this feature, which starts from hitting the opponent with a specific move. A move that can disrupt an opponent's balance when it lands is easy to understand and easy to imagine.

*New Virtua Fighter Project* battle footage on stage

4Gamer: From what we've seen of previous Virtua Fighter games, it seems you've incorporated elements that are both innovative and easily understood.

Yamada: The goal is to create something that's intuitive and simple, something that players can easily pick up without needing to memorize complex rulesets.

4Gamer: You said earlier that a faster game speed might make the Flowguard system harder to understand. What game speed are you aiming for?

Yamada: I think it will be similar to previous titles. One of Virtua Fighter's strengths is its fast-paced gameplay; fast enough that matches can fit in short videos. In 2D fighting games, players often start by closing the distance, since many characters have ranged attacks — but Virtua Fighter starts with both players already in close range. This means that the combat is intense and highly concentrated right from the start, and we want to maintain that as a core strength of the game.

4Gamer: What kind of controls will the new systems use?

Yamada: We're currently testing out different control methods. Basically, we plan to keep the new elements simple to input, and we absolutely must ensure that it's easy to play with a gamepad. However, we might add more buttons. But, as a design philosophy, we want to maintain the simplicity and ease of understanding of the original P-K-G (punch-kick-guard) control scheme.

4Gamer: How difficult will the input for the new systems be?

Yamada: This time, we want to lower the barrier to entry. Virtua Fighter was designed to be accessible to everyone, even players who just mash buttons — and as a result, it succeeded in attracting people who'd never played a fighting game before. I think that's an important aspect to keep, so we don't want to make things too complicated.

4Gamer: So you want to create a game that can also be enjoyed by veterans who've played since Virtua Fighter and Virtua Fighter 2?

Yamada: Yes. In fact, many of the developers are from that generation. Our goal is to first create a system that can be easily enjoyed by younger players new to Virtua Fighter, then flesh it out to allow veteran players to have fun as well.

4Gamer: Your attempt to create fluid, dynamic, martial arts-esque combat feels very ambitious. This has been a difficult element that many games have tried to address, and it seems hard to implement successfully.

Yamada: From a gameplay perspective, that theme might have made it difficult to implement some more ambitious concepts. However, we have nothing to lose. The core tenet of Virtua Fighter is to challenge ourselves with new ideas, much like the philosophy of the series's creator Yu Suzuki. Virtua Fighter has a certain established formula — and I think it was pretty much perfected with Virtua Fighter 5. So we should strive to create something significantly different, while also making it fun and engaging.

4Gamer: Will the damage to specific body parts be reflected in the character's look?

Yamada: That's something we definitely want to show. We want to have visual cues to let players easily understand the opponent's current status at a glance; for example, a character's look changing when they've taken enough damage in a specific limb.

New Virtua Fighter Project producer Riichiro Yamada New Virtua Fighter Project producer Riichiro Yamada

4Gamer: In regards to moves that have appeared in previous games: will moves that inflict heavy damage to body parts, or throws, become more valuable?

Yamada: It's possible. At the moment, we intend to design new moves as brand-new techniques, but this isn't a final decision. We're still experimenting with how characters will accumulate limb damage while adjusting the balance.

4Gamer: Will the strategies for returning characters change with the new system?

Yamada: I think the character balance will naturally change with the new systems, but we want to keep each character's core identity.

4Gamer: In the livestream, you mentioned wanting to reduce the importance of aerial combos. Will the gameplay benefits of aerial combos be lower, or will there be less launchers?

Yamada: I believe there will be somewhat less benefits. While launcher moves were effective, the follow-up moves weren't always so, so we adjusted the physics so that characters would stay airborne even after seemingly simple punches. This varies depending on the character and situation, but right now we can only say that we're trending towards making long air-juggling combos less viable. It's not that we're against aerial combos altogether; we just want to take a different approach. We need to incorporate elements that let players feel a sense of progress as an alternative to simply practicing combos over and over; on top of various other issues to be addressed.

4Gamer: What are the rules for chaining Stun Combos after a successful Stunner attack?

Yamada: We're still discussing the details. We think it'll be fun for players to discover those combos themselves, but we might still need to provide some guidance.

4Gamer: Could you tell us about the Signature Cut feature? In the recent video, when the losing fighter got kicked in the face, he had a tooth broken. What level of reality are you aiming for with this feature?

Yamada: Basically, we're aiming for a level of reality that falls within the guidelines for a CERO D rating (age 17+; equivalent to a ESRB M rating). We don't want to create something grotesque; we want a realistic and impactful experience. For example, a critical hit to the head could lead to a knockout, or a broken tooth, or a fighter collapsing to the ground. We're tryingt to depict what might happen in a realistic fight between martial artists, while also adding an element of entertainment. However, some people might be uncomfortable with blood and explicit violence, so we plan to include a toggle for this feature.

Bajiquan master gets his shit kicked in

4Gamer: What can you tell us about Uprising?

Yamada: This is a new ruleset we created with the goal of shaking up the gameplay. Games have the potential to grow and evolve by changing their rules — like how shooting games created the battle royale genre. We want to create something that even those who haven't played before will find appealing and want to try. Of course, it has to be fun, so we're currently experimenting.

4Gamer: We're looking forward to seeing what kind of rules you come up with. Finally, could you share a message for our readers?

Mr. Yamada: In this livestream, we shared some of our ideas and concepts through battle footage. In our next update, we hope to show you the overall atmosphere of the game, so please look forward to it.

4Gamer: Thank you very much for your time today!

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Pub: 29 Sep 2025 14:00 UTC

Edit: 30 Sep 2025 01:21 UTC

Views: 132