Street Fighter

Street Fighter is a single-player and multiplayer 2D fighting game. Players take the role of martial artist Ryu, who travels across the world to compete in the Street Fighter tournament. Battles take place in five countries (Japan, the United States, England, China, and Thailand) each represented by two opponents who must be defeated to advance. The cast includes fighters such as Adon, Gen, and Birdie, who later reappear in the Street Fighter Alpha series. The journey culminates in Thailand, where the player must overcome Sagat, the Muay Thai champion and final boss, to claim the title of the world’s greatest fighter.

Combat is structured around best-of-three rounds, with victory awarded to the fighter who depletes the opponent’s health bar. Ryu’s basic arsenal includes punches, kicks, and jumping attacks, but special techniques can be executed through precise joystick and button combinations. These include the Hadoken fireball, the rising Shoryuken uppercut, and the spinning Tatsumaki Senpukyaku kick, which debuted here and became series staples. Players must balance timing, spacing, and execution, as input windows are strict and mistakes are easily punished by aggressive opponents.

Between sets of matches, bonus rounds provide opportunities to earn additional points. In these interludes, players might be tasked with breaking wooden planks or other objects, introducing variety to the progression. Once Sagat is defeated, the game loops back to the beginning with increased difficulty, allowing for continued play at higher challenge levels.

A two-player mode is available, though it is limited compared to later entries in the series. When a second player joins, they take control of Ken, a palette-swapped version of Ryu. The two players face off in a single match, and the winner proceeds into the single-player campaign to battle the computer-controlled roster.