Review: DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round

I still remember playing my first DEAD OR ALIVE game when I got my first PC back in eighth grade. While franchises like TEKKEN and Street Fighter dominated the fighting game landscape, DEAD OR ALIVE carved out its own identity with flashy presentation, fast-paced combat, and, of course, the infamous jiggle system that became one of its most talked-about features. Beneath the fan service, however, was a surprisingly deep and accessible fighting game that managed to attract both casual players and competitive enthusiasts alike. Fast-forward to today, and DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round arrives as the complete and definitive version of the original 2019 release. This is our review of DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round on PC via Steam, in which we step back into the arena to experience its refined combat, expanded roster, and some of the smoothest fighting mechanics the franchise has ever delivered.

DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round brings the same core base game with its campaign mode, DEAD OR ALIVE Quest mode, along with the highly detailed Tutorial mode, and the Online mode. I am not going into many details about the base game here, as I will be focusing more on the new additions in DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round. On the paper, DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round brings optimization for the current generation of hardware, such as PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the latest GPUs for PC gamers. Naturally, KOEI TECMO has introduced some visual candy for the game as well.

Starting with the basics, the game is still based on its KATANA Engine. For DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round, it brings a brand-new system called OBORO, which is a new lighting system. This is KATANA Engine’s equivalent of RTX as it brings hyper-realistic shadows and reflections. While it does bring Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD FSR to the table, it brings its own unique settings to the game as well. PC gamers will find OBORO Mode in visual settings, which allows for these advanced visual effects to come into play. OBORO Mode is not just for reflections, but it also provides enhanced lighting to make objects, characters, and stages look more illuminated with natural colors.

However, what sets it back is that at launch, only a single stage features OBORO mode, the Lost Paradise. But it delivers a solid demo for this tech. The stage looks insane, and when compared to the original one, it shows how much difference the OBORO mode brings to its visual quality. KOIE TECMO could not have picked a better stage for showcasing it as well because Lost Paradise has green spaces, a small water body, and plenty of activities happening around it as well. The reflections in the water look lifelike, while the lighting on the stage is massively improved. The reflections are not just reflected in the water, but objects close to the water also show water reflections.

The colors are also sharper. The sky looks bluer, the grass is greener, and the trees look properly dense in the background. OBORO also offers its own upscaling method so you can adjust the visual quality and not worry about dropping frames. For reference, I played this game mostly on my laptop, Lenovo Legion 5, which has a Core Ultra 9 processor, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, and an RTX 5060 GPU with only 8 GB VRAM. The game remained above 60 frames for me at all times for 2K resolution, and everything maxed out. It shows that OBORO handles visual fidelity and performance pretty well and does not suffer at all. Even during levels where there was a lot of n-screen activity or explosions, the frames remained steady on my laptop. While we are at it, the engine also does not make it look unnatural. It upscales everything, but nothing looks forced and feels natural.

My only gripe is that only a single stage currently supports the OBORO system. KOEI TECMO is promising this tech to arrive at more levels post-launch, and I am excited to see how it transforms the remaining levels as well. Having it in levels such as Seaside Eden, Hidden Garden, and The Throwdown will really showcase its true power. There is no RTX in the game, but OBORO seems to be doing a pretty good job of handling the reflections.

Moving on to the roster, DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round brings the entire roster of the base game along with five new characters added in it as well. These include Tamaki, Rachel, Momiji, Phase 4, and Nyotengu. All five of these characters were previously available as DLC characters, but now they are part of the new roster. Along with these five additions, DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round has two more DLC characters, Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond from The King of Fighters XIV, which will arrive at a later date. When it comes to the fighting roster, DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round does not disappoint in any way.

DEAD OR ALIVE Central is where you will spend most of the time when you are not participating in any fighting. Here, you can listen to the game’s soundtrack, character themes, and stage music. Apart from music, you can check out the game’s database, which contains your records for every activity you complete in the game. Theatre gives you access to saved replays and even lets you watch an AI vs AI battle if you prefer. If you want to learn more about the world of DEAD OF ALIVE 6, you can head over to the Library, where you can read the Encyclopedia and Trivia. While these have their own uses, the two main things you will do in DEAD OR ALIVE Central are manage your character wardrobe and access the brand-new photo mode.

DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round brings nearly all base game and DLC costumes forward with it; however, some of the DLC packs still need to be bought. Despite it being the ‘definitive edition’, it relies on your purchases from the base game. If you own the DLC costume packs from the base game, you can bring them forward in DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round to use them. Otherwise, you must first buy them for the base game to make them accessible here. This poses another problem, since the base game has been delisted, the DLC is not listed anymore as well. It may arrive in the future, but so far, some costumes are locked behind packs which are currently delisted on Steam. Only Kasumi and Marie Rose get bonus costumes for the new title. Most of the costumes can be bought with in-game currency, but certain DLC costumes still require microtransactions.

The new Photo Mode is not something that you would normally expect from a traditional game’s photo mode. Normally, you will begin playing the game and then hit a key to enter photo mode. In DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round, the photo mode is a separate mode which must be started from DEAD OR ALIVE Central, and in it, you can pick your fighters, choose a stage, and then enter it. Once on the stage, you can select poses, fighting moves, and other settings before taking a picture. It is certainly more for freeing than some of the other games because it is a separate mode, but on the negative side, you cannot take pictures in normal fights or any of the campaign modes.

Despite requiring much higher system specs, DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round is a pretty optimized game. I do not remember a single instance where it dropped frames for any reason. This resulted in fluid fights, solid deliveries, and not a single chance missed for that perfect counter. For fighting games, higher frames are crucial, and there are plenty on offer here. Apart from the good performance, the game is also free of any sort of bugs or glitches. The character movement is fine, the levels look amazing on higher resolutions, and the added visual fidelity performs optimally.

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Final Verdict:

While there is not a lot of new content in DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round, it certainly is the ‘definitive’ edition of the fighting game. It brings a few new fighters and costumes to the table, but the real eye candy is the visuals and the buttery-smooth gameplay. It excels at mastering the art of fighting with both simple and complex fighting moves, offering something for both casual and hardcore fighting enthusiasts. DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round not only looks good but also plays well. The photo mode also brings a unique element to the game. For long-term fans of the franchise, or new players who missed the original 2019 release of DEAD OR ALIVE 6, the Last Round certainly is a fighting game that will deliver hours of fighting.

Final Score: 8.5/10

Disclaimer: A PC Steam review code for DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round was provided by One PR Studio on behalf of KOEI TECMO America for this review. For a detailed breakdown of our scoring and review process, please refer to our Review Policy.