Surprise! Ultra Street Fighter 4's Decapre plays nothing like Cammy
Don't be deceived
Yes, the fifth (and final) character reveal for Ultra Street Fighter 4, Decapre, looks a lot like Cammy. That's to be expected, since SF lore dictates that they share the same DNA. But when it comes to playstyle, Decapre's technique is worlds apart from Cammy's flurry of Spiral Arrows and Cannon Spikes. Capcom's Peter "Combofiend" Rosas stopped by to show me Decapre (dee-cap-ree) in action--and after playing her, I can attest that this tights-wearing clone feels quite unlike the other fighters in the game's gigantic roster.
First off, Decapre's a charge character, so it's extra challenging to maintain her forward momentum during a fight. Her special attacks help counteract this; Decapre can dash-teleport around the screen (controlling where and how she lands), or blitz forward with a series of dagger slashes. And while the Decapre I saw was about 80 percent complete, Rosas assured me that her copy-and-pasted Spiral Arrow attack has been removed entirely, which helps balance Decapre's powerful offense. Funnily enough, Rosas likens Decapre's playstyle to E. Honda instead of Cammy, given the constant need to charge back while still pressuring opponents with heavy-hitting normals.
I'm most excited by Decapre's mobility options, which are always a gamble: the Scramble teleport will confuse and cross-up unprepared opponents, but Decapre becomes extremely vulnerable if the opponent starts to predict her movements. As a whole, she feels like a glass cannon, capable of killing or being killed in the blink of an eye, and playing as--or against--a good Decapre requires entirely different tactics than a Cammy match-up. So don't judge a book by its cover, because this masked Shadaloo Doll's all-out-aggression brings something entirely new to the table.
Check out the following screenshots for additional info!
A little bit of extra Psycho power has given Decapre some excellent jump-in attacks (with deceptively large hitboxes).
If you look closely, you can see Decapre's scarred skin underneath the mask.
Yep, Decapre takes a page from Vega's book and wields metal daggers in both hands. This is a street fight! C'mon!
Decapre's coolest Ultra attack is DCM (Defensive Combat Manuever), which is a dash-attack frenzy akin to Spider-Man's Maximum Spider in MvC.
Decapre has a useful auto-combo that pops her opponent into the air--and she can actually follow that up with an air throw. Crazy!
I asked Rosas if Decapre's alternate costumes would be other Shadaloo Dolls. Judging from his reaction, it seems my guess was way off base.
Decapre's Super is fittingly risky: it's got extremely high damage but very low utility, since it often loses to other moves.
Funnily enough, the dagger-slash forward special is a simple "Mash punch" command. And yes, it feels awesome every time.
Just look at that pose. When you have a Decapre mirror match, it looks like they're making a one-armed London Bridge.
