Capcom revealed Elena’s gameplay trailer as well as her stage and background song today. The Kenyan fighter returns after her hiatus in Street Fighter V. Elena’s new look is zebra printed, and the scarf definitely feels festive towards her love for Capoeira. The sandals have reinforced the whole “shoes on” Street Fighter; it is this round. For everyone else, this is possibly life or death, but for Elena, the fight is nothing but a dance.
Her new night stage is quite calming to look at, despite the instruments and crowd in the background. Hippos and elephants are also present. Capcom has never really missed with Africa stages since her debut, and this seems to not even be close to the exception. Reniala Remains could be a spot in Madagascar.
Elena seems to have a new anti-projectile tech move in tow called Lynx Song. It seems to go under several high projectiles, such as Deejay’s, with some command allowance to add even a grab move. Spinning Scythe and Rhino Horn are still here, which is always great for the distance check. Elena has a two-hit target attack in the air, and some of her usual normals return. Some of these have a target combo potential baked in. There seems to be some sort of wind-like mist that follows her in some moves and even in her level 2 super. This could probably be a mechanic install similar to Mai or a certain power-up. Her Standing Roundhouse seems to be the heavy punishment we needed.
Her Level 3 is deadliest and quite illuiminating while one of her other supers – Revival Dance – hints at the very aspect of the 3 series that added depth to the game – healing. While Gill got Ressurection in the 3 series, Elena had a similar move that restored some of her health, also.
Better for Capcom to give you the lowdown on Elena’s comeback in their blog,
Hailing from Kenya, Elena first appeared in Street Fighter III: New Generation in 1997. She’s always pawsitive, even in the face of danger, and makes friends as easily as she can hear the voices from nature. In Street Fighter 6, after an intense fight with her friend Akuma, she travels the world once again in search of the meaning of a lesson that Akuma teaches her.
As a capoeira master, Elena utilizes her long legs and unpredictable movement to keep her prey in check. Many of her moves from prior games remain intact, but as usual, we’ve updated her move list in Street Fighter 6. We’re not lion when we say “unpredictable!”
Rhino Horn is a series of quick, forward-moving kicks that send the opponent flying back. Elena will jump farther depending on the strength of the kick used. Though this move can’t hit crouching opponents, if you land it in the corner, you can follow-up with Scratch Wheel. Speaking of Scratch Wheel, it’s a powerful rising kick, and acts as Elena’s “dragon-punch,” and is useful for anti-airs or for keeping opponents off her.
Sink your teeth into Lynx Song because its where things get wild! Elena spins forward close to the ground while invincible to projectiles and can then use four different techniques out of it. The first is Leopard Snap, a long-reaching attack useful for getting in. The second is Harvest Circle, a kick that launches opponents in the air and maintains invincibility to projectiles. The third is Mallet Smash, an overhead kick that can buffalow-profile. The fourth is Lynx Whirl: the move you should be standing alert for like a prairie dog!
During Lynx Whirl, Elena performs an additional spin to extend Lynx Song. If the aforementioned Leopard Snap, Harvest Circle, or Mallet Smash are performed after Lynx Whirl, their properties are “boosted!” A boosted Leopard Snap makes Elena “plus” on attack and block. A boosted Harvest Circle gives Elena more time to follow-up attacks on hit, opening up more combo options. A boosted Mallet Smash is quicker and makes Elena “plus” on attack and block. OD Lynx Song provides all the benefits of Lynx Whirl without having to spin the second time. Remember this move before opponents call you a cheetah!
Finally, Moon Glider is an evasive technique where Elena steps back before performing a vertical spinning kick sending the opponent in the air.
For the eagle-eyed, Elena’s Level 1 Super Art Meteor Volley is an effective anti-air and also allows for a follow-up attack on hit.
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! During Elena’s Level 2 Super Art Revival Dance, she launches forward with a flurry of kicks and is invincible to all attacks on start-up. If Elena is feeling a bit drained, she can forego some of the extra damage and use her trademark healing to gain some Vitality!”
Finally, Elena’s Level 3 Super Art Song of the Grasslands brings the power of nature to the fight as she delivers kicks with the power of the skies and plains!
Finally, there will be a major balance patch when Elena releases, meaning changes for all of the previous 25 characters and some system changes as well. Keep an eye out on our social channels and website for the patch notes!
The balance patch is gonna shake things up with characters, too. If it’s anything like Tekken 8, we might need to sit down first.
Elena will be available on June 5 to coincide with the Street Fighter VI: Year 1 and 2 Fighters Edition.
