The launch of Street Fighter 6 somehow sent a big musical bombshell into the mix, showering the event with praises from its community. Capcom just recently announced an exclusive collaboration with the legendary game composer Yoko Shimomura to write a promotional tune, “Edge of Triumph,” for the Elena Update. The community is having a field day!
Yoko Shimomura is, basically, game music royalty. Shimomura was responsible for the compositions behind most of the original Street Fighter II soundtrack-recognition cues, if you will-that basically laid the groundwork for a whole generation of fighting game music. And now, with this new cutie for SF6, players are wondering how she was never hired to do the rest.
In an official statement from the Street Fighter Twitter account, it was revealed that the new tracks could be set in the Character BGM Settings window “to add more excitement to all of your fights!” Judging from the responses, that is likely exactly what the SF6 soundtrack had been missing.
One clever netizen went with: “if only she had made the whole soundtrack then this game would actually have good music.” Oof! But they’re not wrong – the somewhat positive reaction we see toward this track is in fast contrast to the less fond reception of SF6’s original score.
Another fan went on to say, “This convinces me that she should have been the one to compose the entire base game soundtrack!” There seems to be quite a strong common sentiment across these replies, seeing that plenty of the commenters joke it “only took 2 years” to finally get good music in SF6.
With that said, many are still just happy to hear her familiar sounds return to Streets of Fighter. @IamGVAmor crowned her “the mother GOAT for VGMs,” while @laikbl simply said, “wow, this sounds amazing ❤️.” The collaboration even caught the attention of a few people who aren’t regulars in the SF6 scene.
Of course, there’s always a few who’re disappointed, some wanting costume design updates (@khrisnf), others patch notes (@kindafresh), and still others a Fortnite crossover (@LimeThe95155); because that’s how the gamers roll.
Interestingly, as @ChrisJuniverse pointed out, it’s technically not Shimomura’s first return to Street Fighter since she has impacted Street Fighter music for 35 years. But this sort of direct collaboration feels really special, especially considering she hasn’t been employed by Capcom for decades.
This new track feels like it captures that Street Fighter II essence that made her original tunes so unforgettable. @DaRyo1989 states that one part of the track actually reminded him of a theme from a stage back in the day. Man, that’s some serious nostalgia.
The orbits of love cluster around this music, and while we’re at it, might as well ask why Capcom didn’t go all out with Shimomura from the get-go. The juxtaposition of this track to the base game soundtrack is… quite obvious, shall we say. Could this be a dry run for some serious collaborations in upcoming seasons?
If Capcom hoped for a once-in-a-lifetime hype burst for Season 3, they made a right call here. Even some of the harsher critics of SF6 music have started to praise it. Now, if only they would fast track those costume updates everybody’s been asking about…
“Edge of Triumph” is out right now with the Elena Update, so I encourage you to listen and weigh in on the entire hype. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people pick, Capcom might actually commission Shimomura for more… A gamer can dream, right?
