Fighting games have been on one hell of a comeback the last few years with so many classic names coming out of the woodwork. Koei Tecmo has decided to bring Dead or Alive out of retirement, and to get people ready for the upcoming Dead or Alive 7, they’ve dropped Dead or Alive 6 Last Round to help remind the world that Tekken and Virtua Fighter aren’t the only 3D fisticuff simulators around.
I Didn’t Hear a Bell
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round feels like a nice little bookend to the story of Dead or Alive. Following the adventures of the entire cast in this latest Dead or Alive tournament, rather than focusing on just the main ninja cast, the game tells a rather twisting and inclusive narrative where the events reach to even the furthest removed characters. It culminates in the return of the original DOA bad guy Raidou and some surprising revelations about the DOATech company.
It’s a bit of a silly story with a mix of drama thrown in. It is, at the end of the day, a fighting game, but I do have to applaud the level of work that’s gone into the story and how it’s presented. Every character has a moment and story to follow that perfectly encapsulates their personality. It’s good stuff for anyone who’s into fighting game lore and will take a decent couple of hours to get through, too.
Full 3D Movement!
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round is a 3D fighting game, unlike titles like Street Fighter that are predominantly fought on a 2D axis. Dead or Alive, as a series, has always had a heavy focus on full 3D movement and massive interactive arenas, and Dead or Alive 6 Last Round continues that tradition with its healthy roster of 29 characters and 2 DLC packs.
The combat in Dead or Alive 6 Last Round uses a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” dynamic with strikes, holds, and throws. Strikes, which are your punches and kicks, beat throws; throws beat holds, which are counters; and holds beat strikes. It is far from the first 3D fighting game to have a system like this (shout-out to Virtua Fighter), but I’ve always felt the holds make the series and game dynamic and natural. If you’re going to get kicked in the face multiple times, it’s only natural that at some point you’re gonna grab that foot!
Originally implemented in Dead or Alive 6, and thus part of Dead or Alive 6 Last Round, is a meter-based system not found in earlier installments. After building a certain amount of meter, you can either activate a Break Hold at 50% or the cinematic Break Blow at 100%. Both are special moves, with the latter culminating in a close-up shot of your opponent’s bashed-in face. It is lovely stuff and shakes up the basic combat. Mixed with the “easy combo” button for newcomers, it allows that sometimes uphill battle to feel a little more leveled if it’s your first time in the Arena.
Danger Zone
One of the most iconic aspects of Dead or Alive is the arena interactions, and while slightly dialed back from previous games, they are still here. You’ll be throwing people down stairs, getting them abducted by dinosaurs, and getting hit by tanks. It’s amusing and sets you up for some fun combos. Yes, they have brought it down to earth somewhat compared to Dead or Alive 5, but for the most part, they are still here and still damn fun.
For me personally, I find the combat in Dead or Alive 6 Last Round to be the best in the series. I’ve been playing from the first game on the original PlayStation, and every game has slowly bridged the gap with button presses and making what happens on screen not only look awesome but feel awesome. I feel that with the extra mechanics and tweaked movesets in this game, it’s never been easier to pick up a controller and pull off some impressive juggle combos.
What Big Modes You Have
So we know how good it feels to throw down, but what options do you have to do so, do I hear you cry? Well, worry not, as Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has a bountiful selection of modes for you to test your mettle in. We have the standard Arcade, Survival, and Time Attack battles, though the Arcade routes have been somewhat diminished by the lack of character-specific endings as rewards. Story Mode is an in-depth timeline following each character’s events through the narrative, and DOA Quest gives you 150+ challenges with the roster to complete, offering goodies to look at in DOA Central. There, you can design different costumes for the cast, or you can look at the DOA Encyclopedia for in-depth lore.
In terms of online play, you have lobby matches and ranked play. It’s the usual affair for fighting games, but here is where some of my issues lie with this release. Despite being a re-release of Dead or Alive 6, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has neither rollback netcode nor crossplay with other formats. In 2026, where these features have become the standard for the genre, this is a huge letdown. The netcode of DOA6 was already average at best, and this would have been an ideal chance to fix that and widen the player pool. It’s less of a step back for the franchise and more of a reluctance to move forward, something I hope doesn’t happen with the upcoming Dead or Alive 7.
This brings me nicely onto my next grievance with the title. Outside of a tidy up on visuals and a photo mode, there is no new content on offer here. It’s an ideal package for someone who’s never played, as it bundles most of the original game’s DLC into the base package, leaving out only KoF guest characters Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond (who are still available as DLC specifically for Last Round as well). But if you already own the game and the DLC, the upgrade really isn’t worth the asking price.
Beautiful and Deadly
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round is still a beautiful-looking game. Characters bruise, get dirty or cut, and even sweat pours off of them. Also, for those of you who need that little bit of extra incentive, there is plenty of fanservice in the many costumes on offer for both sides of the cast.
On a slight tangent, when Dead or Alive 6 was initially released, there was a lot of talk about KT toning down the fanservice side to make it more appealing for “everyone.” With all the costumes on offer, I would say this has been addressed for the people who wanted more revealing costumes, but there are also more than enough tamer outfits. Personally, it’s never been an issue for me as I’m busy kicking heads in and dropping power bombs, but to each their own!
The game offers a choice between quality and performance modes. It certainly stands toe to toe with Tekken 8 in Quality mode, but the blistering speed and smoothness of Performance is far too appealing. I didn’t see a single frame drop the whole time in Performance, and for me, that is an absolute win.
The music is fine and matches the genre well. The voice acting is split between either a Japanese or an English dub. I do feel they could have benefited from a mix and match of voice tracks, letting you pick and choose which voice for each character. More games should follow Tekken’s example and have each character voiced in their mother tongue! Still, on the English side, you’ll be met with the usual crew of voice actors of the time of DOA6’s original release like Yuri Lowenthal, Lauren Landa, and Kira Buckland.
Verdict
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round is a frustrating rerelease. I absolutely loved it, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a game, but I’d say exactly the same about the original release. For those like me who already own it, I don’t feel enough was added to make this worth a repurchase. But if you don’t have the original, then it’s more than worth the purchase price. You’re getting a great game with tonnes of content, if with a somewhat lacking online experience by modern standards, at a rather budget price.
While it is ironic to say the game may just be the other kind of DOA (dead on arrival), at least regarding its online features, the potential is there. If Koei Tecmo tweaks the multiplayer experience and gives players the chance to match up with solid netcode on the platform of their choice, I will happily come back and eat crow. But as it stands, this re-release simply isn’t the best way to bring eyes back onto the franchise, despite being a release of an excellent fighting game.
DEAD OR ALIVE 6 LAST ROUND IS RECOMMENDED
If you are into older fighting games, take a look at our review of Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection. Or if you are more action-oriented, check out our review of one of Koei Tecmo’s other works involving Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden II Black.
Many thanks go to Koei Tecmo for a PlayStation 5 review code for Dead or Alive 6 Last Round.
Pride of utopia & greatest thing ever, I found the One Piece, Collected the Dragon Balls & won the Mortal Kombat Tournament in one night, it was quiet for me that night! Follow me on Twitter @powahdunk
