SEGA had promised an announcement about Virtua Fighter Crossroads this week, and we now know what it was all about: the Japanese publisher has unveiled Lionel Rafale, a new character who should raise a smile among fans of the series. Why? Because he's quite simply the son of Lion Rafale, the French fighter who first appeared in Virtua Fighter 2. And clearly, the lad inherited rather more than just the family name. Naturally, players who grew up with Virtua Fighter will spot the similarities between the two characters straight away. The talent is there, no question, but humility seems to have been left out of the family inheritance. Arrogant in the way he talks and in the way he fights, Lionel Rafale sports a bold style that suggests SEGA and RGG Studios are keen to shake up the saga's conventions.
Either way, Lionel's arrival swells the roster of fighters announced for Virtua Fighter Crossroads. So far we've had Cielo Salinas, Stella Bridge, Bakunawa Killer, Akira Yuki, Wolf Hawkfield and Pai Chan. We'd imagine the remaining fighters will be revealed over the coming weeks and months, the better to build hype ahead of the game's release. As a reminder, Virtua Fighter Crossroads is being developed by RGG Studio, best known for the Like a Dragon series, and marks a turning point for the franchise. The Japanese studio intends to put its expertise to use rather than settle for a string of fights, so this new Virtua Fighter Crossroads will also offer a proper story-driven adventure.
As things stand, SEGA hasn't yet specified which platforms the game will be available on. That said, barring a last-minute surprise, it should land on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. So we'll have to wait a little longer to learn more about this Virtua Fighter comeback, whose release date also remains a mystery.
