I truly do not understand Dead or Alive 6: Last Round.

The Koei Tecmo fighter already attracted a poor response when it launched on the PS4 in 2019 – I think my colleague Rob was quite generous with his 6/10 assessment at the time – but this repackaged next-gen re-release represented an opportunity to restore the release’s reputation.

I fear it may have made it worse.

This is the exact same game as the original, flogged for a flabbergasting $40, with no rollback netcode or DLC bundled. There’s a photo mode, graphical improvements to one stage (with more to follow?), and the promise of a new character, Minato, in the future.

You can transfer some DLC from the PS4 version, but SNK crossover characters Mai and Kula Diamond need to be repurchased. A few new outfits have been added as well, but nothing worth writing home about.

The online netcode functions fine based on my testing, but it’s not up to par with the best in the fighting game genre. Meanwhile, the single player cinematic story mode remains one of the worst I’ve ever experienced, with an incoherent structure and diabolical voice acting.

Some of the requirements to unlock additional costumes have been reduced via the game’s quest-like Challenge mode. Meanwhile, the fighting format remains crunchy, with each hit packing an impressive punch.

But I don’t understand the purpose of this package. If the goal was to put Dead or Alive back on the map ahead of its all-new entry, similar to Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, then Koei Tecmo has utterly failed.

This should have been a more generous bundle, with all content included, a tag-team mode, and rollback netcode. Instead it’s a cash grab with scant new features to justify its inexplicable existence.

Dead or Alive deserves better.