Gameplay and design
The core gameplay of Street Fighter is one-on-one fighting, with each match consisting of three rounds, each limited to 30 seconds. If time runs out, the winner is determined by the remaining health of both fighters. This setup makes matches fast-paced, forcing players to attack actively within the limited time rather than just defend. Compared to later fighting games, the original's rules are simpler and more straightforward, but it already had the rudiments of competitive play.
The most distinctive feature of the game is the control scheme on the arcade cabinet. The deluxe cabinet featured two pressure-sensitive pads, where players controlled light, medium, and heavy attacks by pressing with varying force. This design was very avant-garde at the time, but the actual experience was somewhat awkward—players had to slap the pads hard, which was tiring and made precise control difficult. The standard cabinet used a six-button layout, three for punches and three for kicks, but the buttons were arranged from strong to weak, the opposite of the later Street Fighter II.
The original introduced command-based special moves for the first time, such as the Hadouken, Shoryuken, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. These moves required specific joystick directional inputs combined with a button press. However, Capcom did not reveal these commands on the arcade instruction card, hoping players would discover them through experimentation and word of mouth. This hidden design added a sense of mystery and encouraged community sharing.
At the start of the game, players could choose Japan or the United States as their starting country, and later choose China or the United Kingdom, which determined the order of opponents. In single-player mode, players fought ten opponents in sequence, including Retsu, Geki, Joe, Mike, Lee, Gen, Birdie, and Eagle, before facing the final boss, Sagat. Additionally, the game featured two bonus stages: breaking bricks and breaking tables, which tested the player's button speed and rhythm, providing a light break from the intense battles.
Players could choose Ryu or Ken, who looked different but had identical moves. This was common at the time, as the original had not yet developed the character differentiation seen in later games. The story follows Japanese martial artist Ryu as he enters the World Fighting Tournament, defeating opponents including Ken, Adon, and Sagat. In the final battle, Ryu awakens the Satsui no Hado and uses a Shoryuken to injure Sagat, leaving a huge scar on his chest, but Sagat does not die, setting the stage for future stories.
Background and release
Street Fighter was developed and released by Capcom in 1987, marking the company's first fighting game. At the time, the arcade market was dominated by action and shooting games, and fighting games were still in their infancy. Capcom's decision to release such a title at this time was both an experiment and a risk. The game first appeared in Japanese arcades and gradually expanded to overseas markets.
The game had two arcade cabinets, the deluxe and the standard, with significantly different market performances. The deluxe version, due to the high cost of the pressure pads, sold only about 1,000 units, targeting high-end arcades. The standard version was more widespread, with estimated sales between 10,000 and 50,000 units. In Japan, the deluxe cabinet reached third place on the arcade charts in October 1987, while the standard version topped the charts in January of the same year. This dual-version strategy allowed arcades of different sizes to feature the game.
In terms of commercial performance, the game ranked fifth in Japan's major arcade revenue in 1987 and eighth in 1988, showing steady but not top-tier results. In the UK, the game became the top-earning dedicated arcade cabinet in August 1988, indicating potential in the European market. In the US, the game reached 10th place in December 1987 but gradually declined, failing to sustain its popularity. Overall, the original Street Fighter was moderately successful commercially, but far from the glory of the later Street Fighter II.
The game received multiple ports in 1988. First was the PC Engine CD-ROM² version, released in Japan as Fighting Street, with a North American release in 1989, developed by Alfa System and published by NEC Avenue and Hudson Soft. Due to hardware limitations, this version changed the button pressure to hold duration, offering a different experience from the arcade. The same year, Tiertex developed European computer versions for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, published by U.S. Gold, but due to platform limitations, the graphics and controls were scaled down.
Although the original was not a huge commercial success, it provided Capcom with valuable experience in fighting game development. Many of the game's features, such as one-on-one combat, special move commands, and character selection, were carried forward and refined in later titles. The enormous success of Street Fighter II in particular made Capcom realize the market potential of fighting games, prompting the company to invest more resources in the genre. The original Street Fighter can be seen as a crucial cornerstone of Capcom's fighting game empire.
Development
Street Fighter was directed by Takashi Nishiyama, who had previously worked on Kung-Fu Master at Irem and developed Trojan at Capcom. The boss battle concept in Kung-Fu Master inspired him to create a game centered on one-on-one duels. Nishiyama later designed Fatal Fury and became a key fighting game producer at SNK, demonstrating his deep understanding of the genre.
The game's inspirations were quite diverse. Nishiyama referenced early fighting games like Karate Champ and Yie Ar Kung-Fu, and also drew from the anime Space Battleship Yamato for the concept of the Wave Motion Gun, which directly inspired the Hadouken. The game's title was taken from the film Gekitotsu! Satsujin Ken starring Sonny Chiba, known for its hard-hitting martial arts, which matched the game's theme.
Character art was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, who later became famous for the Mega Man series. At the time, Okamoto was a young designer, and he created distinct looks for Ryu and Ken, among others. Although the original characters lacked move differentiation, their visual designs were already quite distinctive. Okamoto's involvement added visual appeal to the game and laid the foundation for his future career.
The pressure pad control was a significant decision in development. The deluxe cabinet's pressure pads were designed by Ken Hata of Atari Games and could sense light, medium, and heavy pressure. The intention was to let players simulate the force of real punches and kicks through physical pressure, but the actual effect was not ideal. Players had to slap the pads hard, which was tiring and made precise control difficult, leading to poor reception among players. The standard cabinet's six-button layout was more traditional, but the button order was the reverse of the later Street Fighter II, arranged from strong to weak, possibly to match the habits of players at the time.
The hidden design of special move commands was also intentional by the development team. They did not publish the commands on the instruction card, hoping players would discover them through exploration and sharing. This design was not uncommon at the time, as many games encouraged players to find hidden elements on their own. However, this also meant some players, unaware of the commands, could only use normal attacks, affecting their experience. Nevertheless, this mystery made special moves a frequent topic among players, adding to the game's charm.
Reception and legacy
The arcade version of Street Fighter received mixed reviews. Critics generally praised the graphics and combat system, considering it quite good in one-on-one fighting, but the pressure pad controls were widely criticized. Many players complained that the pads were unresponsive and difficult to use, which somewhat hurt the game's reputation. Despite this, the core design concepts were recognized and laid the foundation for future titles.
The original Street Fighter had a direct impact on Capcom itself. It inspired the development of Final Fight, which, although changed to a beat 'em up genre, inherited some elements from fighting games. More importantly, the experience from the original directly led to the creation of Street Fighter II. Many concepts established by Nishiyama in the original, such as special move commands and character selection, were refined and expanded in the sequel, ultimately ushering in the golden age of fighting games.
The game also had a profound influence on SNK's Fatal Fury. After leaving Capcom, Nishiyama joined SNK and designed Fatal Fury. This game clearly inherited the concepts of the original Street Fighter but added more innovations, such as a two-plane battle system. The original Street Fighter not only influenced Capcom itself but also, through Nishiyama's career, affected the entire fighting game genre.
Special move commands and the six-button layout later became standard in fighting games. Although the original's six-button layout was the reverse of the sequel's, the sequel's layout eventually became the industry norm. Command-based special moves became a hallmark of fighting games, and almost all subsequent fighting games adopted similar designs. The original Street Fighter pioneered these aspects, and although it was not perfect itself, its design philosophy became deeply rooted in the genre's development.
The Street Fighter series has since released multiple compilations and remakes, allowing the original to reappear on various platforms. Although the original's graphics and controls are outdated, as the series' first entry, it holds significant historical value. Players can revisit the origins of fighting games through these compilations and experience the design philosophy of that era. The original Street Fighter may not be the best fighting game, but it is undoubtedly an indispensable page in the history of fighting game development.
