A nameless man awakens in the back streets of Metro City. With no memory, all he knows is the insatiable hunger for power that courses through him. Now he sets out to feed this hunger and discover who he is — the man the world knows as M. Bison (Gerald C. Rivers, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity).
Perhaps even more iconic as a villain in Street Fighter lore than Akuma, the now-deposed leader of Shadaloo returns with a familiar kit, but a surprising narrative twist. Seeing the series mainstay baddy dressed in rags and struggling to contain his signature Pyscho Power creates an engaging persona for the character in Street Fighter 6.
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Conceptually, M. Bison brings a lot with him. But this is a fighting game. The big question is: How does he play? For the most part, this DLC character delivers good damage while leveraging some subtle, but key tricks to help him overcome many of his opponents’ biggest threats.
The two best tools in the arsenal for this character are his long-time staple moves, Psycho Crusher and Double Knee Press. Psycho Crusher not only provides Bison with the means to do sizeable damage from across the screen, but he can do so with a measure of safety. No single hit projectile in the game can stop the former tyrant’s relentless assault once the attack begins. This allows him to pierce all the Sonic Booms and Hadukens his opponents will try to use to keep him at bay. He is vulnerable during the attack’s windup, so proper timing is still important. The overdrive version of the attack allows for more hits, resulting in more damage.
The Double Knee Press serves as a critical piece of M. Bison’s kit due to its speed. Most of Bison’s attacks land a bit on the slow side. This allows an opponent to get into a comfortable rhythm when it comes to the pacing of Bison’s offensive pushes. However, a well-timed Double Knee Press will catch any overconfident fighter off guard, as the quick flip kick comes out at surprising speeds.
The overdrive version of this attack follows up the initial hits with an upward knee. This leaves the enemy vulnerable to further punishment. The player does need to use some caution when employing this move, as both versions will give your opponent ample time to push back if they manage to block.
M. Bison’s most notable new addition to his kit is the Back Fist combo. This move is a two-hit combo that plants a Psycho Mine on the target if unblocked. The mine will detonate after a fixed amount of time or can be detonated with any Psycho powered move, increasing the damage done. Even if the follow-up Psycho move is blocked, the bomb will still detonate, allowing Bison to gain the upper hand. An important note: The mine will deactivate if Bison is struck before it detonates.
The final special move in M. Bison’s kit is Shadow Rise. The move launches Bison into the air. Once above his opponent, he has two options of attack. He can drop down, striking his foe with a steerable Psycho-infused punch, or perform a downward kick that allows Biuson to spring off his opponent’s head. Both options provide significant overhead threats, with the head stomp enabling the player to set up further damage.
Bison’s Super Arts is a collection of impressive attacks that are sure to leave your opponents out cold. Most notable among these is the Psycho Punisher. It begins with a jump that leads into a destructive combo. What makes this move notable is that the jump can be steered. This gives the move a surprising amount of versatility.
Bison’s biggest weakness is in his low game. Most of his low attacks lack reach, making it hard to press an opponent that is crouched. Also, he only has one anti-air attack, which is performed as a low heavy. Players need to be ready for an opponent’s jump in if you are gonna react in time to counter.
Now, for the modern control scheme users, let’s talk about M. Bison’s compatibility with this control type. Unfortunately, it’s not great. Since several of his key moves are charge attacks, the player must still charge the direction press before pushing the special move button. There is no follow-up direction press, so it is quantifiable and easier than classic controls, but if you struggle with the charger mechanic, Bison will pose problems for you.
Aside from this though, the selection of moves that are mapped for Bison in the simplified control scheme are solid. He has a strong medium standing that brings good reach, and the Back Fist combo and Double Knee press are easily accessible.
All in all, M. Bison adds a powerful presence to Street Fighter 6‘s roster. He has a great arsenal of tricks that can deliver strong damage while giving him just enough variety to keep an opponent guessing. Bison feels primed for a comeback tour.
M. Bison is available now as DLC content for Street Fighter 6 on Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, and PC.
