We previously pointed out how one of the wackiest specials from Street Fighter 5, Zangief’s Tundra Storm, was shown to be returning in Street Fighter 6’s latest trailer. The Tundra Storm is effectively a counter, but what makes the move so “wacky” is how it only triggers against a limited number of attacks — “horizontally-angled kicks.”
However, in a recent video posted by Rooflemonger, it’s been indicated that Zangief’s Tundra Storm has seen an improvement. More specifically, it was shown that the counter effect of the special triggered against an attack in Street Fighter 6 that it normally wouldn’t in Street Fighter 5.
As detailed by Rooflemonger in his video, E. Hoinda’s stand heavy kick is not considered to be a “horizontally-angled kick” in Street Fighter 5 since it hits at the head level of most fighters. Despite this, Zangief’s Tundra Storm still activated against an attack that is very like E. Honda’s standing heavy kick in Street Fighter 6.
What’s particularly interesting about all of this is how Zangief animates during all of this. After absorbing the kick, Zangief will snap into an appropriate pose for a brief period of time before grabbing E. Honda’s leg for the attack.
While this snapping animation doesn’t look quite as smooth as the Tundra Storm animation in Street Fighter 5, it’s speculated that this is actually for a very good reason. The brief snapping animation may change based on what attack Tundra Storm is absorbing.
In other words, it’s suggested that Tundra Storm might be a fair bit more versatile this time around. It’s already been shown that Tundra Storm will now trigger against attacks that aren’t necessarily “horizontally-angled,” but could it also do something against low kick attacks and punches?
Check it all out in the video below:
